More than 100 people have been arrested by federal immigration agents in a joint operation with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, leaving many immigrants in Nashville feeling uncertain and anxious.
“None of us have ever seen anything like this,” said Lisa Sherman Luna, the executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, on Friday.
This operation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shows how important local and state law enforcement are to President Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportations. Just last week, Florida officials highlighted a joint action with ICE that led to 1,120 immigration-related arrests.
The Highway Patrol said Friday that during the operation with ICE, it made 588 stops, and ICE took 103 people into custody for suspected immigration violations.
According to the Highway Patrol, these stops helped find illegal drugs and firearms, which they say removed dangerous items from the streets and made Tennessee safer. One of the people arrested was wanted for a murder in El Salvador.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee recently signed a law that created a new immigration enforcement division under the state’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security, which includes the Highway Patrol. He is among several Republican leaders promising to use state resources to help carry out Trump’s plans.
At the same time, leaders in Nashville, a Democratic-leaning city, have said they were not part of the operation and have spoken out against the arrests. Nashville’s Law Director Wally Dietz said city officials were not told in advance about the state and federal operation that began on May 3.
In response to questions about Nashville police being seen near an ICE office, Dietz said Wednesday that the city often gets requests for extra patrols for various reasons and responds as resources allow. He said he didn’t know who was arrested and that when he asked the Highway Patrol for details, they told him to submit a public records request.
Donald TrumpThe Highway Patrol said it stops drivers based only on their behavior while driving. “We do not enter neighborhoods or stop vehicles based on who someone is — we stop based on what they do behind the wheel,” the agency said.
However, people who support immigrant rights say that the patrols have mainly happened in areas of the city where most residents are people of color.
“All signs point to this being racial profiling intended to terrorize the heart of the immigrant and refugee community,” said Sherman Luna. “What we’ve heard is that THP is flagging people down for things like a broken taillight or tinted windows.”
Sherman Luna believes that some of the people being held might be allowed to stay in the U.S. if they had skilled legal help during their immigration hearings. But she’s heard that many are agreeing to be deported because they’re scared of spending a long time in immigration detention.
According to the Migration Policy Institute’s study of census data, about 9% of the Nashville metro area’s population of around 2 million are immigrants, many of whom come from Mexico and Honduras. The city is also home to a large Kurdish community and refugees from countries like Sudan and Myanmar.
“It’s a strategy to strike fear into our vibrant, diverse, beautiful neighborhoods,” said Sherman Luna.