In the early hours on Sunday, May 4, Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) in conjunction with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a traffic stop of over 150 vehicles in areas the departments said have a history of gang activity and serious traffic crashes, arresting many and confiscating weapons and drugs.
The exact number of detainees is unknown as of this writing, but different news outlets have put the numbers somewhere between 40 to 100. Reportedly, the federal agents handled immigration-related matters, including the drivers without valid licenses or identification, while THP made some arrests for outstanding warrants and seized illegal guns and drugs from those with suspected gang affiliations.
The arrests have predictably drawn protest from immigrant rights activists and organizations, culminating in a demonstration outside the Nashville ICE office later on Sunday after those arrested were bussed to an ICE field office or federal immigration detention center in Louisiana.
The executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Lisa Sherman Luna, said operations like these “shatter families” while creating “fear and trauma”. “This is yet another unconscionable act of cruelty and abuse of power by ICE collaborating with state law enforcement that will have a devastating impact on families throughout Nashville and beyond,” she stated.
