July 1, 2025

Gulf Coast Sheriffs Sign-On to Assist ICE

By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News

July 1,, 2025

MOBILE, Ala. More than a dozen sheriff departments in Alabama have now partnered with ICE to enforce immigration laws, transport prisoners or incarcerate them in county jails during their deportation process.

Both sheriffs in Mobile and Baldwin County have entered into agreements with ICE and will conduct various duties in the deporting illegal immigrants. It’s called the 287(g) program and allows state and local law enforcement agencies to have some limited immigration authority after deputies have been trained.
Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch says he wants as many deputies as possible to receive the training. “Especially the ones that patrol the areas that border the interstate,” said Burch. “And our special operations guys.”

Recently, universities and colleges including several in Alabama have also been trained in immigration enforcement and partnered with ICE under the 287g program.

Nationwide, some law enforcement officers are providing assistance in the apprehension of illegal immigrants, while others only assist with transporting the prisoner to a federal processing center.

Locally, Burch said that in recent months his deputies have driven a “couple hundred” illegal immigrants to Hancock County Jail in Mississippi for processing to help the federal immigration enforcement task force. He said that there are hundreds of people in Mobile County in the country illegally. He says he recently inked the 287(g) agreement with ICE which will allow trained officers to have authority to execute warrants and perform background checks to determine someone’s immigration status.

The additional training and agreement with ICE allows the deputies to move forward when they engage with suspect illegal immigrants.

Burch says space is limited at the Mobile County jail and hinders how many can be held at the jail at any given time but in Baldwin County, a new addition to the county jail will be finished soon giving them additional room to hold ICE prisoners, Baldwin County Sheriff Anthony Lowery stated.

In Northwest Florida, more than two-dozen Santa Rosa County deputies have participated in the task force and warrant service, with more planning to join. In Escambia County, 19 deputies have been involved in 287(g) training.