Another immigration raid occurred at a school construction site in Alabama, the second within a month in Baldwin County.
The recently formed Gulf of America Homeland Security Task Force arrested 11 workers July 23, according to the FBI Mobile office. The raid occurred at the under-construction Loxley Elementary School. A bystander’s video showed four-wheelers speeding to the site and helicopters above, as agents in green masks and military-style attire ran toward the area.
The raid follows one June 24 at under-construction Gulf Shores High School, where 37 workers were arrested.
The raids in Alabama and around the country come as the Trump administration ramps up illegal-immigration enforcement, with a goal of 3,000 arrests a day. The new federal budget law adds $170 billion over the next four years to increase immigration enforcement, including adding 10,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and building detention centers and a border wall.
In response to the stepped-up ICE raids, a coalition of businesses, including 37 Associated General Contractors chapters, signed a letter to Trump on July 15 calling for a work permit program that would enable foreign workers to be in the U.S. legally. The Alabama AGC chapter was among the signers.
The letter praises Trump for his business background and his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, particularly those who have committed crimes.
“You have secured our border – now you can succeed where previous administrations have failed to do – securing America’s workforce by instituting your work permit program,” reads the letter from the American Business Immigration Coalition.
“We are farmers, restaurant and hotel owners, builders, caregivers, small-business owners and employers who keep this country running. Like you, we know what it means to show up early, stay late, and do whatever it takes to keep things moving forward. This spirit is what has always made America strong.”
The ICE raids have been most prevalent in Los Angeles, Denver, New York and other “sanctuary cities” that limit their cooperation with ICE.
“Sanctuary cities are now our priority. We’re going to flood the zone,” said Border Czar Tom Homan at a press conference July 21. “… So sanctuary cities get exactly what they don’t want, more agents in the community and more agents in the worksite.”
Contractors in Republican-majority states, however, are also concerned, reporting that workers fear arrest and aren’t showing up. They point to the growing labor shortage being worsened by the raids, creating more roadblocks to the construction industry.
In support of a long-term work permit, Dave Simpson, president and CEO of Carolinas AGC, praised immigrant construction labor in an interview with WRAL.com.
"They get there early, they go home late. They're talented," Simpson told the news station. "A lot of them are craftsfolks, and a lot of them are sending money back to their families in countries like Mexico and Colombia."
The American Business Immigration Coalition is calling on Congress and the president to pass the Dignity Act of 2025, immigration-reform legislation introduced July 15 in the U.S. House. The bill calls for allowing “certain long-term undocumented immigrants to earn legal status, without amnesty or a path to citizenship. The bill restores order while offering a tough but fair opportunity for those who have contributed to the country,” according to U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Florida. She is co-sponsoring the bill with U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas.
According to Salazar’s news release, the bill proposes the following:
- A program allowing legal status to undocumented immigrants who have been working in the U.S. for at least seven years, with renewable status based on good conduct and restitution.
- Update visa categories to align with economic needs.
- Fully fund border infrastructure and enforcement.
- Mandatory E-Verify to prevent illegal hiring.
- Asylum reform that ends catch-and-release and speeds up the process.
- Grant legal status and a path to permanent residency for “Dreamers,” children of undocumented immigrants born in the U.S.
- Expand training, apprenticeships and education for American workers.
