Civil rights advocates warn of wrongful detentions and rising fear as more Alabama police departments sign agreements to enforce federal immigration laws
By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
Local law enforcement agencies in Alabama are increasingly entering into partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), raising alarm among immigrant communities and civil rights groups.
At least nine active agreements—known as 287(g) programs—are in place across six Alabama counties, with three more pending, including one with a municipal police department. These agreements authorize local officers to enforce certain federal immigration laws, a shift critics say turns police into de facto immigration agents.
“These agreements basically give police the capability to do ICE’s job,” said Celsa Stallworth, a community organizer in Randolph County with the ACLU of Alabama. “To the community, that means police are now immigration officers.”
Active 287(g) partnerships have been confirmed in Colbert, Crenshaw, Elmore, Etowah, Franklin, and Henry counties. Agreements are pending with the Houston County Sheriff’s Office and the Level Plains Police Department in Dale County.
What Are 287(g) Agreements?
The 287(g) program, part of federal immigration law, enables ICE to delegate immigration enforcement powers to state and local law enforcement agencies. The program has gained renewed momentum under recent executive orders encouraging cooperation between federal and local immigration authorities.
There are three types of 287(g) agreements:
Jail Enforcement Model: Enables officers to check immigration status of individuals booked into local jails and issue ICE detainers.
Warrant Service Officer Model: Allows trained officers to serve administrative warrants on behalf of ICE.
Task Force Model: Trains local officers to conduct immigration enforcement in the community, expanding beyond jail settings.
ICE promotes the program as a “force multiplier” for public safety. But immigrant advocates argue it opens the door to racial profiling and unlawful detentions.
Community Impact and Criticism
Level Plains Police Chief John Summers is awaiting approval of a task force agreement. He says it will help his department better address immigration concerns in the city of roughly 1,800 residents, where Latino residents make up about 10.3% of the population, according to U.S. Census data.
“It gives us a little more authority when it comes to dealing with illegals and improves our relationship with ICE,” Summers said.
But critics say such assumptions are problematic. Allison Hamilton, executive director of the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice, emphasized that many migrants in the region work legally under temporary permits, particularly at poultry processing plants in the Dothan and Enterprise areas.
“In that area, you’re going to have a lot of people who probably have a work permit, who could easily be detained due to outdated records or a complete lack of knowledge,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton warned that immigration law is complex, and that officers with only basic training may mistakenly detain individuals who are lawfully present. “This often leads to civil rights violations and could have legal repercussions for officers down the line.”
Fear on the Ground
Concerns escalated this week after a disturbing video surfaced showing ICE agents forcibly detaining a construction worker in Foley, Alabama, who says he is a U.S. citizen.
The video, posted by BreakThrough News, shows agents grabbing 25-year-old Leonardo García Venegas at a job site. Bystanders can be heard shouting, “He’s a citizen, bro!”
Venegas told Telemundo that despite presenting identification, ICE agents accused him of carrying fake documents, handcuffed him tightly, and detained him. He said they knocked his phone out of his hand when he tried to record the incident.
After his release, Venegas returned to the job site and found that several other workers, including his older brother—who is allegedly undocumented—had been detained.
ICE has not publicly commented, but the Department of Homeland Security told NBC News that Venegas “interfered with an arrest during a targeted worksite operation.”
Stallworth says the growing presence of ICE, coupled with these agreements, is fostering deep fear in immigrant communities—including among naturalized citizens and families with mixed immigration status.
Hamilton echoed those concerns. “I think anybody who is an immigrant, or who appears to be one, needs to proceed with caution when interacting with law enforcement,” she said. “These agreements are severely damaging the trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”