As deportation efforts intensify under President Donald Trump, an immigrant truck driver caused traffic chaos in South Carolina last month by blocking a highway, claiming he had a bomb in his 18-wheeler. In response, local Republican lawmakers say deportation is a coveted mission. .
Republican leaders said it's another example of former President Joe Biden's lax immigration system impacting hard-working citizens, adding that the new Trump administration's deportations can't start fast enough.
According to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS), Ahmad Jamal Hameez Alhendi, 28, was arrested on January 2 at approximately 2:45 p.m. when his tractor-trailer license plate was missing. He was stopped by the state traffic police.
Police said the man later told law enforcement officers there was an explosive device inside the commercial vehicle. In response to the threat, police closed all six lanes of Interstate 85 to allow the Greenville County Sheriff's Office, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the FBI to investigate the threat.
Ahmad Jamal Hameez Alhendi was arrested in South Carolina after authorities say he made a fake bomb threat during a traffic stop. (Alex Hicks Jr./Staff/USA Today Network (via Imagn Images), left, Greenville County Detention Center, right.)
South Carolina highway shut down due to fake bomb attack by suspected illegal immigrant
The 18-wheeler was eventually removed and all lanes of I-85 were reopened nearly five hours later.
Mr. Arhendi was arrested, jailed, and sentenced to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. ICE detainees hold notices of noncitizens who may be deported after being arrested and detained for criminal activity.
ICE told Fox News Digital that Alhendi is a Jordanian citizen who legally entered the United States on September 20, 2018, in St. Paul, Minnesota. His address is listed as Oak Lawn, Illinois.
Since then, Arhendi has not complied with the conditions of legal entry and is now in the country illegally.
A highway closure near mile marker 44 caused significant delays and bumper-to-bumper traffic.
The incident also came a day after terrorist Shamsuddin Jabbar plowed his truck into a crowd of people celebrating New Year's on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more. This made many residents anxious.
The case also followed in May when two Jordanians were charged with trespassing on a Marine Corps base. Quantico, Virginia. A base spokesperson said at the time that two people in a box truck were stopped at the gate and the driver apparently told military police that he was working for an Amazon subcontractor and intended to deliver to the post office. Announced.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Officials told FOX News In May, it was discovered that a Jordanian man had entered the United States illegally before being released in April. ICE told Fox News the man was an international student whose status was revoked in January. That lawsuit was later dismissed.
On January 2, when the bomb hoax occurred, Alhendi was a contractor for Grove Transportation, an Illinois-based trucking company.
Ahmad Jamal Hameez Alhendi after his arrest. (WHNS)
A Globe Transportation spokesperson told Fox News that Alhendi had a legal work permit and a clean, valid commercial license when he was hired. He also owned an 18-wheeler that he drove.
A spokesperson said there were no issues with him during his contract with the company. She said it was her understanding that his license plate had fallen off and that was why he was stopped by SCDPS.
However, it is still unclear why he claimed to have a bomb in his truck.
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Alhendi's attorney told Fox News Digital that he would not comment on his client's behalf.
State Sen. Tom Fernandez, who represents South Carolina's 39th District, said the chaotic incident is due to a lack of immigration enforcement, putting residents at risk.
“This case highlights the critical importance of stronger enforcement of immigration laws and increased oversight of people who legally cross into the United States,” Fernandez told Fox News Digital. I did,” he said. “Those who entered the country legally but failed to abide by the terms of their stay should not be able to operate freely in our country, much less cause this level of disruption.”
“South Carolinians deserve to feel safe in their communities, and incidents like this only increase the urgency of securing our borders and ensuring proper enforcement of our immigration laws.”
South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick echoed similar sentiments.
“This is a classic example of the impact that Joe Biden and the Democratic Party have had on our country,” McKissick told Fox News Digital last week. “Thankfully, it will all be over in just a few days. Now is the time to put the American people first, and with President Trump back in the White House, the rule of law and our safety will once again be our priority.” You can be sure that it will.”
President Trump's new “border czar” Tom Homan told American Report on Tuesday that ICE has begun its planned mass deportations, focusing first on immigrants who pose a danger to the public. Ta.
“The ICE team is active today,” Homan said. “We told them to prioritize the public safety threats we were looking for. So we were creating a target list.”
The ICE operation comes as President Trump declared a national emergency on the southern border on Monday, including resuming construction of the border wall, disabling the CBP One app for paroling immigrants into the United States, and deploying troops to patrol the border. This comes after a series of executive orders related to the border were announced. border.
A bomb threat caused traffic jams. (WHNS)
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Arhendi appeared in court the day after the interstate disturbance and was charged with passing false information regarding a bomb threat, breach of the peace of an extreme and aggravated nature and not having a vehicle licence.
He was issued bonds totaling $20,238 on all three charges and sent to the Greenville County Detention Center. fox carolina Reported. He was then denied bail days later after the South Carolina State's Attorney's Office filed a motion to reconsider his bail 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)
Mr Alhendi is still listed as being in custody. He is scheduled for a hearing before a Justice Department immigration judge on August 6, 2026. Immigration inspection officeaccording to ICE.
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety is the lead agency in the investigation, an FBI spokesperson told FOX News Digital.
