ICE conducts raids across Alabama

June 24, 2025 — There have been a series of immigration enforcement actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) across Alabama this week.

U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) said on social media, “The Biden Administration knowingly released Iranian illegal aliens into the interior of our country for four years. Open border policies don’t just threaten our communities, they put our national security at risk. Grateful @POTUS continues to secure our border and our nation.”

ICE has arrested 11 Iranian nationals across eight states, because they pose a potential security threat. One of those was arrested on Tuesday in Locust Fork in Blount County. He reportedly was still carrying his Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card in his possession.

“Joe Biden’s open border left EVERY STATE vulnerable to illegals and terrorists,” said Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) on social media. “Now, they’re trying to escape the law in small towns like Locust Fork, Alabama. Great job by our @ICEgov agents to ensure these criminals are held accountable.”

FOX10 News is reporting that federal agents have conducted an illegal immigration raid at the new Gulf Shores High School construction site on the Foley Beach expressway. The FBI confirms that 37 suspected illegal immigrants have been taken into federal custody.

The Birmingham Times, the detentions occurred at the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) office in Birmingham’s Southside, where undocumented immigrants regularly report as part of an alternative-to-detention program. Multiple individuals were taken into custody during these visits.

The man arrested in Locust Fork, Alabama on June 22, 2025, was identified as Ribvar Karimi, a former Iranian Army sniper who served from 2018 to 2021. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Karimi entered the United States legally in October 2024 on a K-1 visa, which is issued to foreign nationals engaged to be married to American citizens.

Karimi married his American fiancée, Morgan Gardner, in January 2025, but failed to adjust his immigration status as required by law. He is currently being held in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. His wife, who is seven months pregnant, has publicly defended him, stating that he is a proud immigrant who “loves America” and had no malicious intent.

Federal officials have not publicly linked Karimi to any specific terrorist activity, but the Department of Homeland Security has emphasized a renewed focus on identifying and removing individuals with potential ties to hostile foreign governments.

In Gulf Shores the FBI, in coordination with Gulf Shores Police, Orange Beach Police, and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, detained 37 individuals during the raid. The operation was described as a federal immigration inspection, and those arrested were transported to a federal facility for processing.

The City of Gulf Shores and Gulf Shores City Schools issued a joint statement clarifying that the construction site is under the control of a private general contractor, distancing themselves from the enforcement action.

ICE confirmed the arrests in Birmingham, stating that those detained had final orders of removal issued by immigration judges and had failed to comply.

“If you are in the country illegally and a judge has ordered you to be removed, that is precisely what will happen,” ICE said in a statement. The agency emphasized that the ISAP program is designed to ensure compliance with immigration court rulings and that enforcement actions are now being carried out under stricter guidelines reinstated by the Trump administration.

Sen. Tuberville acknowledged the operations, saying they are not limited to Birmingham but are occurring across the state. “If you’re here undocumented, you do need to check in at your local office. If you don’t, you’re breaking the law by not showing up.”

The raids have drawn sharp criticism from immigrant advocacy groups.

Lisa Moyer of Bham Migra Watch told reporters the detentions “a betrayal of trust,” noting that those detained were already participating in supervised release programs.

Allison Hamilton is with the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice.

Hamilton said, “The message is very clear that immigrants are not welcome or wanted in this country”.

The raids come amid a broader national crackdown on undocumented immigration. Over the weekend. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency—ICE—was created in 2003 when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It combined the old Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) with borders and customs enforcement into one agency.

ICE has recently conducted high-profile enforcement actions at construction sites in other parts of the country—including Tallahassee, Florida, where over 100 undocumented workers were detained in late May 2025. These operations are part of a broader federal initiative targeting unauthorized employment in the construction industry, particularly under the renewed immigration enforcement priorities of the Trump administration.

AI contributed to this report.