U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Monday that a five-day operation across Marshall, Franklin, Lawrence and Colbert counties produced more than 180 arrests of illegal aliens, among them a Mexican gang member who had been deported seven times.
The operation ran the week of October 19. ICE’s New Orleans field office, which covers Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, led it alongside sheriff’s offices in all four counties. Each of the four sheriffs holds a 287(g) agreement with ICE, which lets trained deputies carry out federal immigration enforcement under ICE supervision.
“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,” said acting Field Office Director Scott Ladwig. “Seven out of the top 10 safest cities in the United States cooperate with ICE. Together, we remain focused on locating and removing those who threaten the safety of northwestern Alabama communities.”
ICE said many of those arrested carry records that include aggravated assault, domestic violence, sexual assault, assault on a law enforcement officer, driving under the influence and criminal impersonation. The agency named eight of them.
Pedro Gomez Matias, 43, of Mexico, is an 18th Street gang member deported seven times before, with convictions for domestic violence and DUI and a prior charge for fraudulent immigration documents.
Felix Cortez-Ortiz, 45, of Mexico, was arrested in Lawrence County. He had been removed from the United States five times and convicted of DUI four times in Decatur and Russellville, with prior arrests for leaving the scene of an accident and domestic violence.
Mario Canelas Quintana, 37, of Honduras, was arrested in Franklin County under a final order of removal. His prior arrests, by Russellville police and the Colbert County Sheriff’s Office, include second-degree rape, for which he received deferred prosecution, and DUI.
Luis Rodriguez Guzman, 45, of Guatemala, was arrested in Colbert County under a final order of removal. ICE described him as an aggravated felon with convictions for first-degree wanton endangerment, two DUIs and fleeing or evading police.
Miguel Francisco-Juan, 48, of Guatemala, was arrested in Marshall County. He was ordered removed in December 2011, deported and reentered illegally. His arrests include DUI, leaving the scene of an accident and assault on a female officer.
Darwin Ordana, 29, of Honduras, was arrested in Lawrence County with prior arrests for harassment, resisting an officer and hit-and-run. ICE said he is held under mandatory detention through the Laken Riley Act over an alleged third-degree harassment offense on October 18.
Juan Batz Castro, 54, of Guatemala, arrested in Franklin County, had been deported twice and convicted of giving false information to police. Pedro Gutierrez, 46, of Guatemala, had been deported three times and convicted of disturbing the peace and criminal impersonation, with arrests for domestic violence and assault.
Marshall County Sheriff Phil Sims, who is seeking a third term and whose office joined the 287(g) program last year, confirmed the arrests Saturday.
“I am extremely proud of the men and women of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office who worked directly alongside ICE agents during this operation,” Sims said. “Our deputies were not simply providing support from the sidelines. They were actively involved in locating and apprehending individuals as part of this coordinated enforcement effort.”
“What concerns me most is the criminal history of some of the individuals apprehended during this operation,” Sims said. “These are not simply immigration violations. We are talking about individuals reportedly involved in serious criminal offenses, including crimes of violence and offenses that place innocent citizens and families at risk.”
“I want to make something very clear. This operation was not about someone’s race, ethnicity, or nationality,” he said. “It was about enforcing the law, identifying individuals who may pose a threat to public safety, and ensuring accountability through the legal process.”
Agents made arrests in Russellville on October 21. Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver confirmed at the time that the activity reached into Lawrence, Colbert and Marshall counties. Detainees picked up in Franklin County were held at the Lawrence County Jail before transfer to the ICE processing center in Etowah County.
Sims said his office is not finished.
“We will continue to cooperate with ICE and other federal agencies, within the authority granted by law, to identify and apprehend individuals who pose a threat to public safety,” he said.
Sims has been among the state’s most vocal sheriffs on illegal immigration. In 2023 he joined Attorney General Steve Marshall in blasting the Biden administration after an illegal alien released to ICE turned up at a Marshall County department store. Earlier this year the Trump White House praised Alabama’s joint ICE-ALEA checkpoint operations in Franklin and Colbert counties.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
