BAY MINETTE, Ala. (WALA) – Eight people were arrested Thursday morning, Sept. 18, 2025, at a job sit in Bay Minette, including one unaccompanied juvenile. It was part of a joint immigration enforcement operation which targeted the jobsite of the new Baldwin County District Attorney’s Office, adjacent to Courthouse Square.
General Contractor, Rolin Construction went to Homeland Security and asked to set up the inspection.(Hal Scheurich)
Video taken by a bystander showed several federal agents surrounding the worksite at the new Baldwin County DA’s Office on Hand Avenue. Witnesses described the scene as calm and methodical, unlike some recent immigration raids in other parts of the county. Baldwin County officials said this is because the general contractor, Rolin Construction went to Homeland Security and asked to set up the inspection.
“Kudos to Rolin Construction to wanting to do this and hopefully we’ll be able to see this go forward more,” said Baldwin County Administrator Roger Rendleman. “In fact, we will have to even maybe consider putting it as a specification in our future contracts that they do voluntarily participate in this program.
Officials with the Mobile Office of the FBI confirmed eight people, including a juvenile were arrested at the jobsite, all in the country illegally.
In a statement Thursday, Rolin Construction said in part,
“This partnership was established to support the immigration initiative and the current administration’s mission to combat undocumented violent criminals within our communities. Rolin Construction believes these efforts not only help bring the construction industry into compliance but also create opportunities for hard-working migrant laborers seeking to become legal members of the workforce.”
In the statement, Rolin also said the operation was completed with minimal impact to the project schedule, surrounding businesses or public safety. The county and area business agreed.
There’s not like a surprise and helicopters and all the stuff like that,” said Rendleman. “It’s actually more of a very structured, organized way to have all these people go through…to my understanding, using facial recognition and that kind of stuff.”
Rendleman said after the feds came to the county with their intentions, they scouted the jobsite days in advance to create a plan that would have the least adverse impact on the surrounding area once the operation began.
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