Following hundreds of arrests made over the weekend by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in collaboration with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, community people and immigrant rights organisations convened at the agency’s Nashville office on May 4.
In a statement, THP spokesperson Bill Miller said the agency collaborated with Homeland Security Investigations and ICE on a “public safety operation” in Nashville that targeted “areas with a history of serious traffic crashes and suspected gang activity.”
About 150 traffic stops were performed by troopers, according to the statement. Drivers without proper licenses were discovered in multiple instances.
“Federal agents handled those situations, including immigration-related matters,” the statement said. “Troopers made a few arrests for outstanding warrants. Illegal guns and drugs were also recovered, including from individuals suspected of gang affiliation.”
Ashley Warbington told The Tennessean that early on May 4, she witnessed ICE officers and Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers working together to stop cars and arrest the drivers. The arrests took place in the vicinity of Harding Place and Nolensville Pike in Antioch.
“I did see a stop on Harding Place by Tennessee Highway Patrol,” Warbington said. “Behind them was two unmarked vehicles. A little bit up further, at the exact same time, was another stop that looked to be the same. … I saw someone get detained, put in an unmarked vehicle and driven away.”
The number of people arrested as a result of the traffic stops is unknown.
For at least four hours on the afternoon of May 4, representatives of immigrant rights organisations waited outside the Nashville ICE office for additional details from officials regarding who was being kept, where they were being held, and when they would be released. That group included some relatives of those in custody.
Sean Parker, a member of the Metro Council, attended a news conference organised by advocacy groups at midday that called for clarification on the purported THP and ICE operation.
Aftyn Behn, the state representative, issued a statement regarding the ICE activity reports.
“What I’ve heard anecdotally is deeply disturbing,” Behn stated. “If THP’s involvement is confirmed, it raises urgent and serious questions about THP’s role and authority in detaining Nashvillians for ICE.”
“Dragnet operations like this do nothing to improve public safety,” the statement continued. “What they do is terrorize families, disrupt lives and shatter trust between law enforcement and the communities they are supposed to serve.”
In a social media post regarding the arrests, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition advised anybody impacted to contact the resource hotline at 615-414-1030.
