ICE operation in Nashville: Traffic stops lead to dozens of arrests. Here's what to know

Yahoo

05-05-2025

An immigrant rights group has launched a fundraising campaign following ICE activity in Nashville on May 4. As previously reported by the Tennessean the agency partnered with Tennessee Highway Patrol to make dozens of arrests over the weekend, sparking outcry from impacted families as well as community leaders.
The campaign, organized by The Remix TN, aims to provide support to the families affected by the operation. At the time of publication, the campaign has met nearly 50% of it's fundraising goal, raising over $7,000.
"When our neighbors are under attack, we organize and fight back," read a statement online. "Help us ensure family separation does not continue to affect our communities and that we can do as much as we can to reunite families as much as possible."
According to a statement from the Tennessee Department of Homeland Security, the organization 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 arrests happened in the Antioch area surrounding Nolensville Pike and Harding Place during the early morning hours of May 4. Targeted operations are specifically focused on individuals who "threaten public safety or national security" said a statement from ERO New Orleans Field Office Director Mellissa Harper.
According to a statement, THP troopers made approximately 150 traffic stops in which several drivers were found without valid licenses. It is currently unclear how many people were detained as a result of the traffic stops.
The Nashville operation included involvement from ICE, THP and Homeland Security Investigations. The Nashville Mayor's office denied involvement from Metro Nashville Police.
"No MNPD personnel was involved in last night's enforcement action," read a statement from Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell. "MNPD has no federal immigration authority, is not trained to conduct immigration enforcement, and lacks access to federal immigration databases."
According to O'Connell's statement, MNPD officers were relieved from the protest at Nashville's Immigration and Customs Enforcement office by state law enforcement officers.
The mayor's office is seeking the names of those detained in the operation.
Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition on Monday said she was shocked by Sunday's operation.
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.'
Sherman Luna said TIRRC was able to identify about 40 people who were either arrested and released or arrested and detained and transferred to a detention center in Louisiana, but dozens more are unaccounted for.
'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.
She said the traffic incidents were all for minor infractions like tinted windows or broken tail lights. She said some were questioned about their tattoos.
'We've heard of mothers who were just trying to get to work who were picked up,' she 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 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.
'There is a lot of fear, but there's also a lot of resiliency and determination to fight back,' she said.
The May 4 ICE operation in Nashville is the latest in a series of attempts to crack down on immigration in Tennessee. In January 2025, Tennessee Republicans gave swift passage to an immigration enforcement bill which introduced a statewide immigration enforcement office.
The legislation outlined the plans for a $5 million office within the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, allowing Gov. Bill Lee to tap an enforcement director and incentivize local law enforcement entities to enter into a contract program with federal immigration authorities. Lee and GOP leadership said the measures were necessary to help President Donald Trump enforce his immigration policies.
Contributing: Reporter Molly Davis, Melissa Brown and photojournalist Nicole Hester
Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at [e-mail] or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: ICE in Nashville: How many people were detained? What we know