MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Amid rising scrutiny over the use of undocumented labor on major construction sites in Alabama, State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine) is calling for project owners — both public and private — to take greater responsibility for ensuring that only legal workers are on their job sites.

In an interview with FM Talk 106.5’s Jeff Poor, Elliott said it’s no longer enough for developers and builders to rely solely on subcontractor agreements that promise legal labor, especially after recent high-profile federal raids exposed undocumented workers on school construction projects.

“We have all overwhelmingly elected a president and we have given him a mandate to get rid of illegal immigrants in the country and he is doing exactly that,” Elliott said. “And so, I think it’s incumbent upon folks to realize that that’s going to change how things work, and while you know, the first one or two instances where a job site got raided and people, you know, ended up getting hauled off might be excusable.”

“I don’t think that’s necessarily excusable anymore going forward to say, ‘Oh well my subcontractor agreement says they’re not supposed to be illegals,’ you know,” he continued. “The owners of those projects are going to have to be more responsible for who’s on those projects.”

Elliott’s comments come after federal agents conducted immigration raids on construction sites at Gulf Shores High School and more recently at Loxley Elementary School, where they detained workers allegedly working illegally in the United States. The general contractor for the Gulf Shores project, Rabren Construction, is also managing the construction of the new Alabama State House, raising questions about whether similar issues could emerge on one of the state’s highest-profile public projects.

When asked by Poor what would happen if the same federal scrutiny came to Montgomery’s new State House site, Elliott said the issue underscores why owners must act proactively now — not just when federal agents show up.

“The owners can’t hide behind paperwork anymore. They need to be paying attention to who is actually doing the work on their property,” Elliott said, warning that turning a blind eye is no longer an option given intensified immigration enforcement efforts nationwide.

The senator acknowledged that Alabama’s construction industry, like the rest of the country’s, faces a tight labor market. But he said that doesn’t excuse the use of undocumented labor — and argued that stronger accountability is needed at both the federal and state levels to make it harder for undocumented workers to find employment in the first place.

“There are real challenges for our construction industry,” Elliott said, pointing out that the broader immigration debate needs to include realistic solutions for how to ensure enough legal workers are available for critical public projects.

Still, he said, project owners, contractors and subcontractors must use “common sense” and stay vigilant in verifying the legal status of everyone on-site — especially when taxpayer dollars are involved, as is the case with the new State House project.

“I hope the attention these raids have brought across the state has served as a wake-up call,” Elliott said. “We’ve got to do better to make sure legal labor is the standard on every job site — not just when it’s convenient.”

Originally reported by Erica Thomas in 1819 News.