THP says ICE operation ongoing, over 350 stopped for traffic violations
The Tennessee Highway Patrol announced it made 369 traffic stops in an ongoing joint operation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that resulted in 94 individuals being investigated and detained by ICE.
THP said May 7 that during the stops troopers also encountered four people wanted for felonies and arrested six others on various charges.
ICE said in a statement via email to The Tennessean that some of those arrested have "significant criminal histories" and outstanding final orders of removal.
More: Nashville ICE agency says 84 arrested since May 3 in operation with THP
Neither agency has released the names of any of those arrested during the operation.
The agency said fewer than 10 troopers were assigned to the operation and enforced Tennessee traffic laws. Immigration matters were handled separately by ICE.
In a May 7 news conference, Gov. Bill Lee addressed the recent ICE activity in Nashville and how a community is identified for an operation.
"Our goal is to be a partner with them and to help when they request," Lee said. "But decisions around where they do their work and how they decide who is a part of that operation, we don't have any insight into that."
The efforts did not include agents from Metro Nashville Police or the Davidson County Sheriff's Office.
Nashville is not among the six Tennessee counties that have signed a federal ICE enforcement agreement.
MNPD did provide additional patrol at ICE Headquarters locally when requested.
Metro Law Director Wally Dietz said the THP and ICE operation caught city government by surprise.
On May 1, a man identifying himself as inspector Jackson Sanders from Federal Protective Service of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security called the Department of Emergency Communications to request extra police patrols at Nashville's ICE facility on Brick Church Park Drive on Sunday.
Sanders said in the call there would be operations throughout the weekend and there was concern of backlash by families coming to the ICE facility Sunday.
On May 4 after seeing an unusual number of calls, North Precinct MNPD Sgt. Megan Lamon and officers drove to the ICE facility, where they learned of an overnight operation in South Nashville. Officers were at the Brick Church Park Drive facility for safety concerns related to the ICE protest until they were relieved by THP.
Dietz said there is no evidence to suggest MNPD's involvement in the joint operation.
Dietz said May 7 that he sent a letter to THP and three different ICE offices requesting the names of the people arrested during the operation and the charges filed against them.
In response, THP told Dietz he needed to complete an open records request.
This story was updated to add a video.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: THP says ICE operation ongoing, 369 stopped for traffic violations
