Press Release: Controversial Detentions at Birmingham Immigration Office Generate Outcry
Birmingham, AL – A recent operation at the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) office in Birmingham’s Southside has sparked distress among families and condemnation from immigration advocates. Several undocumented individuals, including a mother of one concerned citizen, were detained during what they believed to be routine check-ins.
Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) confirmed to WVTM 13 that such enforcement actions are occurring not just in Birmingham, but across various locations in Alabama. "If you’re here undocumented, you do need to check in at your local office," Tuberville stated, emphasizing the legal obligation undocumented immigrants have to report.
However, community activists fear these operations send a troubling message to those attempting to navigate immigration processes lawfully. “Those folks are low-hanging fruit for detention because they’re already sort of in the system… It’s not right,” argued Lisa Moyer of Bham Migra Watch. Allison Hamilton from the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice echoed this sentiment, contending that these actions suggest there is no acceptable way to be an immigrant in America.
In response, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) defended the detentions, stating that those arrested had final orders of removal from an immigration judge and had not complied with those orders. “If you are in the country illegally and a judge has ordered you to be removed, that is precisely what will happen," ICE officials emphasized.
The events have raised serious concerns among immigrant communities and human rights advocates, who call for a reassessment of how immigration enforcement is handled in Alabama.
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