A targeted immigration operation between federal agents and local sheriff’s deputies resulted in 180 arrests across four North Alabama counties last month.
The coordinated effort by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local partners led to the arrests and removals of dangerous criminal illegal immigrants living in Alabama.
Agents captured several individuals who had been removed multiple times and illegally reentered the country, including an 18th Street gang member who had been deported seven times.
ICE New Orleans, working with its 287(g) law enforcement partners, carried out the operation during the week of Oct. 19 in Franklin, Lawrence, Colbert and Marshall counties, the agency said in a news release.
According to federal authorities, those taken into custody included individuals previously deported or with final orders of removal. Officers focused on people with criminal records involving assault, domestic violence, sexual offenses, driving under the influence and other crimes.
Seven out of the top 10 safest cities in the United States cooperate with ICE, ERO New Orleans acting Field Office Director Scott Ladwig added.
“ERO New Orleans is committed to protecting our communities by identifying and apprehending illegal aliens who pose public safety concerns and enforcing our nation’s immigration laws,” Ladwig said. “Together, we remain focused on locating and removing those who threaten the safety of northwestern Alabama communities.”
Marshall County Sheriff Phil Sims emphasized his deputies helped take criminals off the street, WAFF48 News reported.
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office is one of the dozens of agencies in Alabama that has a federal 287(g) agreement with ICE that allows local police to assist with immigration enforcement.
“Our deputies were not simply providing support from the sidelines,” Sims said in a statement. “Marshall County will not be a safe haven for individuals who repeatedly violate our laws or engage in criminal activity that threatens our communities.”
“This operation was not about someone’s race, ethnicity, or nationality,” Sims said in a statement to WAFF. “It was about enforcing the law, identifying individuals who may post a threat to public safety, and ensuring accountability through the legal process.”
In Colbert County, ICE arrested Pedro Gomez Matias, 43, an 18th Street gang member from Mexico, who had been previously removed from the United States seven times.
Gomez Matias has prior convictions of felony domestic violence third assault, third-degree domestic violence and driving under the influence, and had a prior charge of possession of fraudulent immigration documents.
Luis Rodriguez Guzman, 45, an aggravated felon illegal alien from Guatemala, was also located in Colbert County. He has a final order of removal. Rodriguez Guzman was previously convicted of first-degree wanton endangerment, two counts of driving under the influence and fleeing or evading police.
In Franklin County, ICE arrested Juan Batz Castro, 54, from Guatemala, who had been previously removed from the United States twice.
Batz Castro was arrested by the Russellville Police Department and convicted of obstructing police-giving false information to law enforcement officer, and had a prior arrest for driving under the influence.
Mario Canelas Quintana, 37, from Honduras, also has a final order of removal and was arrested in Franklin County. Canelas Quintana’s rap sheet includes arrests for second-degree rape, for which he received deferred prosecution, and driving under the influence.
More Than 180 Arrested In ICE Operation Across North Alabama.
Federal immigration agents arrested more than 180 people in a five-day operation across four north Alabama counties, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The arrests were made during the week of… pic.twitter.com/IGaumY92dN
— SSgt Texkota (@texkota) November 1, 2026
Also in Franklin County, ICE arrested Pedro Gutierrez, 46, from Guatemala, who was previously removed three times. Gutierrez has convictions for disturbing the peace and criminal impersonation, along with being arrested for domestic violence and assault.
In Lawrence County, ICE arrested Felix Cortez-Ortiz, 45, from Mexico, after he was previously removed from the United States five times. Cortez-Ortiz was convicted of driving under the influence four times, as well as has prior arrests for leaving the scene of an accident and domestic violence.
Darwin Ordana, 29, from Honduras, was taken into custody in Lawrence County. Ordana has prior arrests for violence/harassment, resisting an officer and hit-and-run.
Ordana is subject to mandatory detention in ICE custody under the Laken Riley Act due to his alleged commission of a violent crime, third-degree harassment, on Oct. 18.
In Marshall County, ICE arrested Miguel Francisco-Juan, 48, from Guatemala, who also illegally reentered the country. He has a final order of removal.
An immigration judge first ordered Francisco-Juan removed in December 2011, but he illegally returned on an unknown date and location. Franciso-Juan has prior arrests for driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and assault on a female officer.
Those arrested are in ICE custody pending immigration and removal proceedings.
ERO New Orleans serves a region including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.
They were among 15 states that also participated in Operation Guardian, a three-day operation that targeted semi-truck drivers and other public safety threats on America’s highways.
That operation ran Oct. 26-28 and resulted in the arrests of more than 230 illegal immigrants, including more than 40 with commercial driver’s licenses.
Ladwig praised the federal agency’s 287(g) partnerships across the country, calling the program “an invaluable resource that provides state and local law enforcement agencies with another tool to enhance public safety in their communities.”
ICE operates three 287(g) models and offers specialized training to designated immigration officers, giving them limited immigration authority to process and arrest removable aliens and execute administrative warrants on illegal immigrants in their custody.
