Traffic stops scrutinized in neighborhood with many immigrants
Nashville progressive leaders and immigrant advocacy groups decried a large-scale traffic stop operation over the weekend targeting a heavily Hispanic neighborhood.
Why it matters: The coordinated operation between federal and state officers in South Nashville came amid President Trump's hardline stance on immigration.
The big picture: Nashville leaders have worked to cultivate the city's reputation as being welcoming to immigrants. Last year, activists and politicians gathered to celebrate the 15th anniversary of voters rejecting a ballot measure to make English the city government's official language.
What they're saying: "Arbitrarily rounding up parents on their way home and workers traveling to their jobs does not make Nashville safer or stronger," Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition executive director Lisa Sherman Luna said in a statement. "Instead it shatters families, erodes trust in law enforcement, and leads to fear, trauma and isolation that weakens the collective fabric of our community."
Following the raids, protesters gathered Sunday at the Nashville Department of Homeland Security facility. Nashville police officers were on hand for crowd control during the protest, Mayor Freddie O'Connell's office said in a statement.
Driving the news: The Tennessee Highway Patrol collaborated with officers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security to make about 150 traffic stops in the early morning hours on Sunday, according to a state spokesperson.
In some cases, federal agents enforced immigration-related matters during the stops. State troopers made a few arrests for outstanding warrants, according to the spokesperson.
At least 20 people were "impacted" by ICE activity, according to a press release from the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.
Zoom out: Earlier this year, the Legislature passed legislation that created a state immigration enforcement office, provided grants to local law enforcement and made it a felony for local officials to back sanctuary city policies. Republican lawmakers said their legislation would allow the state to assist in Trump's immigration crackdown.
The other side:"THP officers should be focused on roadway safety, not detaining parents heading to drop their kids off at daycare or pulling over residents based on their appearance, language, or neighborhood," state Rep. Aftyn Behn, a Nashville Democrat, said in a statement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Gina Ortiz Jones, lesbian and military vet, elected mayor of San Antonio
Gina Ortiz Jones, a lesbian and military veteran who served in President Joe Biden's administration, has been elected mayor of San Antonio, the second-largest city in Texas and seventh-largest in the U.S. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. Jones beat Rolando Pablos, a former Texas secretary of state, in a runoff election Saturday. The margin was 54.3 percent to 45.7 percent, according to Ballotpedia. They advanced to the runoff because no candidate out of 27 in the May 3 general election received a majority of the vote. In the general election, Jones led with 27.2 percent and Pablos came in second with 16.6 percent. The current mayor, Ron Nirenberg, could not run again due to term limits. Races for mayor and other city positions in San Antonio are officially nonpartisan, but this election was partisan in practice. Jones emphasized her affiliation with the Democratic Party, while Pablos, who was elected secretary of state as a Republican, highlighted his ties to leading Republicans such as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. RELATED: Jones was undersecretary of the Air Force during the Biden administration; she was the first lesbian, second member of the LGBTQ+ community, and first woman of color (she's Filipina American) to serve in the post. She twice ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House as a Democrat. She was an intelligence officer in the Air Force and was deployed to Iraq during the war there, serving under 'don't ask, don't tell.' After leaving the Air Force, she worked for the federal government as an adviser on intelligence and trade, with agencies including the Defense Intelligence Agency and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She left government service six months into Donald Trump's first term. In the mayoral race, 'she campaigned on her plans to expand early-childhood education to more children and increase affordable housing and work programs for unskilled workers,' The New York Times reports. 'San Antonio showed up and showed out,' she told supporters Saturday night after the results came in. 'We reminded them that our city is about compassion and it's about leading with everybody in mind. … So I look forward to being a mayor for all.' RELATED: Lesbian Gina Ortiz Jones Wants to Be Texas's First Out Congress Member Two other cities among the largest 10 in the nation have had LGBTQ+, specifically lesbian, mayors. Annise Parker was mayor of Texas's largest city, Houston, from 2010 to 2016. Until recently, she was president and CEO of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. Houston is the fourth-largest city in the U.S. Another lesbian, Lori Lightfoot, was mayor of Chicago, the third-largest, from 2019 to 2023. Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson hailed Jones's victory, releasing this statement: 'Every one of us deserves leaders who value equality and will fight to ensure that we can live freely without fear of discrimination. Gina Ortiz Jones is that leader. That's why HRC was proud to make calls and knock doors to help mobilize Equality Voters in San Antonio and put her over the finish line. Her win isn't just exciting, it's historic; as the first ever openly LGBTQ+ mayor of San Antonio during a time of ceaseless attacks on our community, Gina is emblematic of the resilience, strength, and joy that our community has already used to thrive in challenging times. We can't wait to see her get to work tackling the problems that are impacting our neighbors, families and coworkers and standing up for the rights and safety of every San Antonian.' Evan Low, president and CEO of LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, which endorsed Jones, issued this statement: 'Gina Ortiz-Jones is LGBTQ+ Victory Fund family, and we are proud to see her rise to lead America's seventh-largest city as mayor. As a veteran, her service reflects the estimated 1 million LGBTQ+ veterans who have contributed to our nation with honor, distinction, and an unyielding warrior spirit. San Antonio voters made the right call by sending Gina to City Hall, not only making history but selecting a candidate who is driven to make lives better in her hometown.' Jones will be sworn in June 18 for a four-year term.
CNN
23 minutes ago
- CNN
About 700 Marines being mobilized in response to LA protests
More than 700 Marines based out of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in California have been mobilized to respond to the protests in Los Angeles, and the troops will join the thousands of National Guard members who were activated by President Donald Trump over the weekend without the consent of California's governor or LA's mayor. The deployment of the full Marine battalion marks a significant escalation in Trump's use of the military as a show of force against protesters, but it is still unclear what their specific task will be once in LA, sources told CNN. Like the National Guard troops, they are prohibited from conducting law enforcement activity such as making arrests unless Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, which permits the president to use the military to end an insurrection or rebellion of federal power. The Marines being activated are with 2nd battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine division, according to US Northern Command. The activation is 'intended to provide Task Force 51 with adequate numbers of forces to provide continuous coverage of the area in support of the lead federal agency,' NORTHCOM said in statement, referring to US Army north's contingency command post. One of the people familiar with the Marine mobilization said they will be augmenting the guard presence on the ground in LA. Over 2,000 members of the California National Guard have been activated by the president, but only about 300 have been deployed to the streets of LA so far. Those initial 300 people were on a routine National Guard drill weekend when they were mobilized, which is why they were able to arrive so quickly, the person familiar said; it can take up to 72 hours for other guardsmen to be mobilized. The Marines are expected to bolster some of the guard members who have been deployed to LA in the last two days, this person said. And while the person familiar stressed that the Marines were being deployed only to augment the forces already there, the image of US Marines mobilizing inside the United States will stand in contrast to National Guardsmen who more routinely respond to domestic issues. While some Marines have been assisting in border security at the southern border, one US official said Marines have not been mobilized within the US like they are in California now since the 1992 riots in Los Angeles. While the Marines' tasks have not been specified publicly, they could include assignments like crowd control or establishing perimeter security. Lawyers within the Defense Department are also still finalizing language around the use-of-force guidelines for the troops being mobilized, but the person familiar said it will likely mirror the military's standing rules of the use of force. California Gov. Gavin Newsom described the involvement of Marines as 'unwarranted' and 'unprecedented.' 'The level of escalation is completely unwarranted, uncalled for, and unprecedented — mobilizing the best in class branch of the U.S. military against its own citizens,' Newsom said in a statement linking to a news story about the Marines mobilizing. Newsom disputed the characterization as a 'deployment,' which the governor described as different from mobilization. US Northern Command said in their statement, however, that the Marines will 'seamlessly integrate' with National Guard forces 'protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area.' Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell called for 'open and continuous lines of communication' between all agencies responding to protests in the city ahead of the deployment of US Marines. McDonell said in a statement that his agency and other partner agencies have experience dealing with large-scale demonstrations and safety remains a top priority for them. That communication will 'prevent confusion, avoid escalation, and ensure a coordinated, lawful, and orderly response during this critical time,' McDonnell stressed. This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.
Axios
26 minutes ago
- Axios
Freshman wishlist: Adam Schiff vs. Trump 2.0
Sen. Adam Schiff has some advice for President Trump when attempting to demean him: Pick one nickname. Why it matters: Schiff rose to cable TV stardom as an anti-Trump foil while leading the first impeachment. "Shifty Schiff" or "Watermelon Head" learned to give as good as he got. Trump called Schiff names. Schiff ensured he was impeached — twice. "[T]he cardinal rule of nicknames is: Just stick with one," Schiff told Axios in an interview. Schiff translated his MAGA notoriety into a safe Senate seat, first battling through a tough, expensive primary. Now he's ready for round two with Trump. "I've been thrust back into a lot of that responsibility again because what he's trying to do in the second term is even worse than what he tried to do in the first term," Schiff said. Zoom out: Before Trump dominated the national conversation, Schiff considered himself a fairly nonpartisan national security expert. He endorsed Jim Mattis for Secretary of Defense in 2016 when other Democrats didn't. Schiff had hoped for another rebrand in the Senate. "I was expecting a Biden or a Harris presidency, and the ability to just focus exclusively on what positive things I could get done," he told Axios. What to watch: He is enjoying visiting redder areas of the state after spending years representing just a slice of heavily Democratic Los Angeles. He shared about one such visit in the state's northeast. "I knew I had made progress when one of the farmers looked at me and said, 'I don't know why he calls you watermelon head. You have a perfectly normal-sized head.'" But it's doubtful he'll revert back to a less partisan posture, given the direction of Trump's second term. Driving the news: Two days after our interview, Trump deployed National Guard troops to tamp down on ICE protests in Los Angeles in opposition to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.). "This action is designed to inflame tensions, sow chaos, and escalate the situation," Schiff posted on X on Saturday. He also repeatedly called for violence to stop at protests. "Assaulting law enforcement is never ok," he posted Sunday. Zoom in: Schiff tried to pass a resolution shortly before our interview to stop the administration from stripping civil rights leader Harvey Milk's name from a Navy ship. He has demanded financial disclosures from the White House, written letters to stop DOGE from shutting down USDA offices and tried to block the repeal of EV rules. "Most of my days are spent trying to walk this line between stopping the administration from violating the law and ignoring the Constitution on the one hand," Schiff said, "and continuing to deliver for Californians..." Schiff recognizes that his clashes altered his career trajectory. "I have my brand pre-Trump and my brand post-Trump," Schiff told Axios. Between the lines: Schiff's leadership in the House's first Trump impeachment made him a mortal enemy to Trump and his allies, leading to a "weirdly personal" dynamic, Schiff said.
