MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – FOX10 News has uncovered text messages between Gulf Shores officials and the general contractor after the illegal immigration raid at the new Gulf Shores High School.
June 24, the day federal agents swarmed the construction site, the Superintendent of the Gulf Shores City School System Matt Akin, sent a message in a group chat with Public Affairs Director Blake Phelps and the Gulf Shores Board of Education President Kevin Cocoran.
Akin mentioned I called him to tell him about the raid saying he declined to comment and directed me to the general contractor.
Corcoran and Phelps agreed with that decision.
In that same group chat, Phelps sent this press release from homeland security about the raid. It says they conducted a “worksite enforcement operation at gulf shores high school,” to which Corcoran responded with an expletive, showing frustration that they would name the school when it happened at a construction site.
Phelps quickly clarified Homeland Security did specify it was at the project site.
The next day, we broke the story about Homeland Security investigators questioning the building standards at the school, following the athletic facility collapsing in January.
“We know at this very construction project there was a significant issue with the collapse a couple of months ago and that raises the very safety questions that we all probably are asking ourselves right now of what is the standard that is being applied by these individuals,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge in Alabama and Georgia Steven Schrank. “Many of whom who do not speak our language and do not have the necessary skills and certifications that we would expect, especially in such an important building where our children are going to grow up and be educated.”
Less than 24 hours after that story aired, Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft and Matt Rabren, CEO and President of Rabren General Contractors, texted back and forth about the issue raised by the feds.
Craft texted about the stringent inspection and code requirements but in the messages, we received, Rabren didn’t address the concerns.
Rabren also brought up having a press conference, but that never happened. Even though we eventually interviewed Mayor Craft, to this day, Matt Rabren has refused my multiple requests for an on-camera interview.
I spoke to Corcoran on Aug. 5, and he said he still stands by his texts.
I’ve also submitted another public records request to the Baldwin County Public School System for something similar regarding the illegal immigration raid at the Loxley Elementary School Construction site.
The school system responded today questioning whether my request was proper and refused to send any documentation regarding conversations held by Superintendent Eddie Tyler.
Our lawyers have reached out on our behalf. We’ll keep pushing for transparency.
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