ICE Detains 30+ Workers in Identity-Fraud Raid at Birmingham, Alabama Manufacturing Plant

On June 30, 2026, ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents raided Scholar Craft, a manufacturing plant in Birmingham, Alabama, detaining more than 30 workers found to be in the country without legal status. The operation focused on identity fraud and illegal employment practices, including the alleged use of fake identification documents and stolen Social Security numbers to obtain employment — a pattern consistent with other 2026 worksite raids such as 'Operation Ghost Story' in Abbeville, South Carolina. The raid was part of an escalating wave of ICE worksite enforcement operations following the May 2026 deployment of roughly 330 additional ICE officers to coworking-style field offices across 40+ states, enabling larger and more frequent worksite operations than during the 2017-2019 period of Trump's first term.