Immigrants’ rights advocates in the Nashville area are handwringing as their efforts to prevent mass deportations are falling short while they are reportedly seeing an increased number of aliens self deport because of continued immigration enforcement efforts across the state.
After a joint operation between ICE and the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) over the summer resulted in the arrests of nearly 200 illegal immigrants, many activists and liberal residents around Nashville were spurred to defend aliens or provide them aid and resources.
But as immigration enforcement efforts have continued to ramp up across Tennessee, many of those activists are expressing worries about immigrant families they have grown close to who have chosen to self deport rather than be potentially taken into ICE custody.
Several of these advocates shared anecdotes about these families with the Nashville Banner, voicing concerns over the conditions they fear await the illegals upon return to their native countries. One such example was given by longtime political activist Ashley Warbington who said she has shifted much of her focus from protecting immigrant families facing imminent removals to helping families prepare to self deport.
