THP, ICE make 150 Nashville traffic stops, detaining unknown number of people and drawing protests

Immigrant rights groups and community members gathered at Nashville's Immigration and Customs Enforcement office May 4 after the agency partnered with Tennessee Highway Patrol to make dozens of traffic stops over the weekend.

According to a statement from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, the Tennessee Highway Patrol partnered with ICE and Homeland Security Investigations for a "public safety operation" in Nashville, focusing on "areas with a history of serious traffic crashes and suspected gang activity."

The statement said troopers made approximately 150 traffic stops. In several cases, drivers were found without valid licenses.

"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."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement New Orleans Field Office Director Mellissa Harper said in a statement May 5 that its operations are "specifically focued on individuals who threaten public safety or national security."

"Our officers are highly trained professionals who carry out their duties with diligence, respect, and integrity," she said. "We are committed to smart, strategic enforcement that prioritizes the well-being of the public while maintaining the trust of the communities we serve. ICE will continue to work closely with federal, state, and local partners to keep our communities secure and uphold the rule of law."

Ashley Warbington told The Tennessean she saw Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers collaborate with ICE agents to pull over vehicles and detain the drivers during the early morning hours of May 4. The arrests happened in the Antioch area surrounding Nolensville Pike and Harding Place.

"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."

It is unclear how many people were detained as a result of the traffic stops.

Immigrant advocates protest the operation

Members of immigrant rights groups stayed outside the Nashville ICE office for at least four hours on the afternoon of May 4 awaiting more information from officials about who was detained, where they were being held and when they would be released. Multiple family members of those detained were among that group.

Metro Council member Sean Parker was also at a noon news conference hosted by the advocacy groups demanding answers about the operation.

Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, said in a phone call May 5 that the actions taken over the weekend by authorities shocked her.

Sherman Luna said her organization saw some ICE enforcement in collaboration with local law enforcement pulling over a handful of cars at a time in Jackson and rural parts of Tennessee under the first Trump administration, but nothing like this.

"The scale of this is unlike anything we've ever seen in Nashville," she said. "We are continuing to try and identify everyone who's been impacted and ensure that they have the right legal representation."

The coalition was able to identify about 40 people either arrested and released, or arrested, detained and then transferred to a detention center in Louisiana. Dozens more are unaccounted for, Sherman Luna said.

"Our most educated guess is that there's probably over 100 people in Nashville that have been picked up over the last two days for minor traffic incidences and arrested under civil immigration charges," she said.

Most of the people were pulled over for what Sherman Luna said were minor infractions, like tinted windows or broken taillights. Some people were questioned about their tattoos, she said.

We've heard of mothers who were just trying to get to work who were picked up," Sherman Luna said. "Asylum seekers who hadn't had a chance yet to get a license. It absolutely reeks of racial profiling, the fact that they were at the heart of the immigrant and refugee community."

She said that many families have not yet been able to locate their loved ones and that her team is working around the clock to identify those arrested. The coalition asked anyone affected by the situation to call the resource hotline at 615-414-1030.

"There is a lot of fear, but there's also a lot of resiliency and determination to fight back," she said.

Public officials denounce actions taken by federal, state authorities

Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell urged people to contact their state and federal representatives in a statement on social media May 4.

"Our top priority is keeping people safe, and we're deeply concerned that what appears to be federal actions are making that harder," O'Connell said.

O'Connell said Metro Nashville Police were not involved in the traffic stops.

"MNPD has no federal immigration authority, is not trained to conduct immigration enforcement, and lacks access to federal immigration databases," he said. "They do respond to calls for service and help ensure public safety during protest events anywhere in the city, including the one Sunday just off the property of the federal ICE office. MNPD officers were relieved from the protest by state law enforcement members."

State Rep. Aftyn Behn released a statement about the reports of ICE activity.

"What I've heard anecdotally is deeply disturbing," Behn said. "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."

Reporter Kirsten Fiscus and photojournalist Nicole Hester contributed to this report.

This story has been corrected to reflect that a statement about the operation came from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.

This story was updated to add a video.  

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville ICE, THP traffic stops draw protests after several arrested