Gulf Shores city officials pushed back this week against federal immigration authorities who raised concerns about the construction quality of a new high school based on the presence of undocumented workers who allegedly cannot speak English.

The comments are also a defense of the project’s contractor, Auburn-based Rabren General Contractors.

“They are absolutely qualified to do the work,” said Councilman Philip Harris, a construction business owner. “For Homeland Security to question them like they did and want to question our school is totally inappropriate. I don’t know where it’s proven that illegal (immigrants) equals unskilled (workers) where legal equals skilled. Homeland Security has no position in making that statement.”

The issue burst into public view at Monday’s council meeting, weeks after a federal raid at the site led to 37 arrests. It’s also becoming a flashpoint in a growing political feud between longtime Mayor Robert Craft and challenger Angie Swiger, who says the public deserves more answers about safety following the collapse of a steel frame during January’s snowstorm.

“As was shared last week by the City, there is no evidence to indicate that the school was, is, or will be unsafe,” Craft said. “That assertion is pure conjecture.”

Swiger, at the council meeting, thanked Harris for providing a construction overview. She then later went on Facebook and bashed Craft and the council for not being transparent about the project.

She then accused Harris of providing a presentation that was a “grand effort” to belittle and shut down “anyone who dares question the council and mayor.”

Swiger is running against Craft during the Aug. 26 municipal election. Also running for mayor is businessman Ray Moore.

“Yes, I’m sure the school is going to be magnificent,” Swiger said. “We deserve to know it’s safe, and to know what is going on from our own city when it has to do with our hard-earned tax money.”

Harris, during Monday’s meeting, said he was “a little frustrated” over what he says is “misinformation” about the school construction.

His comments come after Steven Schrank, the special agent in charge of the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) told a Mobile TV channel last month that there were “significant issues” with the construction site that could raise questions about the standards applied by workers who “do not speak our language” and “do not have the necessary skills and certifications that we would expect.”

Federal agents arrested 37 immigrants during a June 24 raid at the construction site. Homeland Security did not respond to a follow-up email request by AL.com.

Craft was the first to defend the project’s construction quality, making a statement on June 30. He reiterated his statement this week after Swiger argued the lack of communication from the city allowed “imagination to take over” regarding the construction’s integrity.

The status of the high school project will be discussed during a 4 p.m. meeting Thursday by the Gulf Shores city school board.

Collapse

Harris noted that the only structural defect that occurred on site was related to the historic snowstorm that fell on coastal Alabama on Jan. 21.

A few days later, the steel truss framing for the future indoor athletic field collapsed. The field project is separate from the high school construction and is not considered part of the $138 million project.

“I’m getting these calls from Birmingham (asking me) ‘Why is your school falling down again?’” Harris said, referring to the reaction from the Schrank’s remarks.

Harris clarified that the only structural issue was the collapse of a steel frame during the January snowstorm.

“The building, when it fell, Rabren contacted the city, school board and our engineering and design firm the same day and said that it’s ‘our problem on site” and that it was ‘between us and subcontractors and the insurance companies,’” Harris said. “The city and school board is not involved in this in anyway. We don’t have a role there. They put investigators on the site immediately.”

Harris noted that Rabren has an ‘impressive’ 24-year track record with 358 completed construction projects, with 75 percent of their work coming from repeat clients.

The company’s portfolio includes the Auburn University School of Education building, Auburn High School, and George Washington Carver High School in Birmingham. In Gulf Shores, the company was the main contractor on The Lodge at Gulf State Park.

Critics questioned why federal authorities did not hold Rabren, the general contractor, responsible for having undocumented immigrants working on site. Similar criticism has existed in raids around the country, where Homeland Security appears to focused on arresting workers while leaving contractors unpunished.

In the Gulf Shores raid, Chris Cannon, assistant field officer with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in New Orleans, said it was conducted only after his agency received a tip about undocumented workers on site.

“We don’t just show up at places,” Cannon said after speaking during the Alabama Sheriff Association’s summer conference in Orange Beach on Tuesday. “It’s a targeted effort. We have to have some reason to be there. It’s not just drive around, see a bunch of people here, and now we’ll take action.”

Harris said he “fully supported” the ICE activity on the construction site, just not the agency’s assessment of a construction project.

School board view

Kevin Corcoran, the Gulf Shores city school board president, said he agreed with Harris’ review of the project in that “no structural contractors were impacted by the ICE investigation.

He also said it was his understanding that thousands of tests on structural components for the project has occurred, “all passing with results far exceeding required standards.” He credited oversight by firms like GMC, Volkert Engineering, and the Alabama Department of Construction Management “ensures full compliance with state codes and standards.”

Corcoran said that Gulf Shores school officials remain engaged throughout the process and have been regularly updated on the construction’s progress.

He also questioned concerns from Swiger about a lack of transparency and engagement from Craft and other council members.

“I attend virtually every City Council work session and meeting,” Corcoran said. “There is always an invitation at the end from (Craft) inviting anyone who was not on the agenda and wishes to speak to come forward and be heard. They are invited to the microphone and are able to share their thoughts. If it a specific concern, the mayor typically assigns a department head to get with the citizen after the meeting to address the concern.”

He said that he felt that Harris, who is also the mayor pro tem, did a “good job” of explaining the situation.

“In the hundreds of meetings I have attended, anyone who has spoken has always been treated politely and with respect and thanked for their comments,” he said.