Trump’s deportations come after illegal immigrants shut down a highway in South Carolina
As deportation efforts ramp up under President Donald Trump, local GOP members say it’s a much-needed mission after an immigrant truck driver caused a traffic jam in South Carolina last month, shut down the highway after claiming to have a bomb in his 18-wheeler.
GOP leaders say it’s another case of former President Joe Biden’s lax immigration system affecting hardworking citizens, adding that the new Trump administration’s deportations can’t start soon enough.
Ahmad Jamal Khamees Alhendi, 28, was pulled over by state traffic police on Jan. 2 around 2:45 p.m. for missing a tractor-trailer license plate, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS).
Then he said a law enforcement officer there was an explosive device inside the commercial vehicle, police said. The threat prompted police to shut down all six lanes of I-85 so the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the FBI could investigate the threat.
Ahmad Jamal Khamees Alhendi was arrested in South Carolina after officials say he made a false bomb threat during a traffic stop. (Alex Hicks Jr./Staff/USA Today Network via Imagn Images, left; Greenville County Detention Center, right.)
FAKE BOMB THREAT by suspected illegal immigrant shuts down SC highway
The 18-wheeler was eventually freed, and all lanes of I-85 were reopened nearly five hours later.
Alhendi was arrested and jailed, and was issued an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention order. ICE detainers are jail notices for non-citizens who may be removed from the country after being arrested for criminal activity and taken into custody.
ICE told Fox News that Digital Alhendi is a Jordanian citizen who entered the United States legally in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 20, 2018. His address is listed as Oak Lawn, Illinois.
Alhendi has since failed to comply with legal entry requirements, meaning he is now in the country illegally.
The highway closure, which occurred near milepost 44, led to long delays and bumper-to-bumper traffic.
The incident put many residents on edge as it happened a day after terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar he crashed his truck into the crowd full of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 14 and injuring dozens of others.
It also follows a case in May in which two Jordanian nationals were charged with illegally entering a Marine base Quantico in Virginia. A base spokesman said at the time that two people in a box truck were stopped at the gate, and the driver allegedly told military police officers that they were delivering to the post office and that they worked for a company subcontracted to Amazon.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources told Fox News in May that one of the Jordanians crossed illegally into the US in April before being released. ICE told Fox News that the other man was a foreign student whose status was revoked in January. That case was later dismissed.
On January 2, the day of the bomb hoax, Alhendi was a contractor for Globe Transportation, an Illinois-based trucking company.
Ahmad Jamal Khamees Alhendi after his arrest. (WHNS)
A spokesperson for Globe Transportation told Fox News that Alhendi had legal authorization to work when it hired him and a clean, valid commercial license. He also owned an 18-wheeler that he drove.
A spokesperson said the company never had any issues with him during his time with the company. She said she realized his license plate had fallen off and that’s why SCDPS pulled him over.
However, it is still unclear why he allegedly claimed to have a bomb in his truck.
Alhendi’s attorney told Fox News Digital that he would not comment on behalf of his client.
State Sen. Tom Fernandez, who represents South Carolina’s 39th district, said the chaotic incident stemmed from a lack of immigration enforcement and put residents at risk.
“This incident underscores the critical need for stronger enforcement of immigration laws and better oversight of those who have overstayed their legal entry into the U.S.,” Fernandez told Fox News Digital. “A person who entered legally but failed to comply with the conditions of their stay should not be able to operate freely within our country, let alone cause this level of disruption.”
“South Carolinians deserve to feel safe in their communities, and incidents like this only reinforce the urgency of securing our borders and ensuring that immigration laws are properly enforced.”
Drew McKissick, President of South Carolina Republican Partyhe echoed those sentiments.
“This is a classic case of the influence that Joe Biden and the Democrats have had on our country,” McKissick told Fox News Digital last week. “Thankfully, that all ends in just a few days. It’s time to put Americans first, and with President Trump back in the White House, we can be sure that the rule of law and our safety will once again be a priority.”
Trump’s new “border czar,” Tom Homan, told America Reports on Tuesday that ICE has begun its planned mass deportations, focusing first on migrants who pose a danger to the public.
“ICE teams are out as of today,” Homan said. “We’ve instructed them to prioritize the public safety threats we’re looking for. So we’ve been working on a list of targets.”
The ICE operations come after Trump declared a state of emergency on the southern border on Monday and announced a series of border-related executive orders, including continuing construction of a border wall, disabling the CBP One application for the parole of migrants to the US and deploying troops to the border.
The bomb threat caused traffic jams. (WHNS)
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Alhendi appeared in court a day after the interstate mayhem and was charged with passing false information about a bomb threat, disorderly conduct of a serious and aggravated nature and not having a driver’s license.
He was issued a total bond of $20,238 on all three charges and sent to the Greenville County Detention Center, Karolina the fox reported. He was then denied bail days later after the South Carolina attorney’s office filed for a bail review after learning of his immigration status and pending ICE detention.
Police direct traffic on Interstate 85 on Jan. 2. (Alex Hicks Jr./Staff/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Alhendi is still being held as a detainee. He has a hearing scheduled for August 6, 2026 before an immigration judge at the Department of Justice Executive Office of Immigration Reviewaccording to ICE.
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety is the lead agency in that investigation, an FBI spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
