18-05-2025
Demonstrators rally against ICE presence in South Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A group of people gathered Saturday to protest against the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in South Nashville.
Even though reports of ICE activity have gone down in recent days, rally organizers said worry and anxiety still ripples through predominantly Latino communities.
Attendees said they chose to protest at the intersection of Nolensville Pike and Harding Place, which is where many of the traffic stops from Tennessee Highway Patrol's 'public safety operation' with ICE took place this month.
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According to the Department of Homeland Security, this operation has resulted in the arrests of 196 'criminal illegal aliens' — 95 of whom had prior criminal convictions and pending charges — as of Tuesday, May 13. However, DHS has only released the names and criminal histories of five men who were taken into custody during the Nashville operation.
'I've had family members who have been detained by ICE. I know relatives who have been deported,' one of the protesters, Miguel Gomez, said.
Gomez traveled to Nashville from Atlanta to show solidarity. He told News 2 he has family members who have been detained and deported by ICE.
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'I'm here to fight and speak for the people who cannot,' Gomez said. 'Racism is becoming much more widespread again; people are just being blatantly racist towards immigrants and Hispanics, regardless of origin, and it makes me feel unsafe in my own community.'
The protest on Saturday, May 17 was organized by Nashville's branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. However, News 2 was told many others across the region also came to show support.
'They're the construction workers, they're the hotel workers, they're the gardeners, the landscapers — they do everything that the other parts of the working class do. They're not the enemy,' said organizer Gloria la Riva.
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On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) posted a picture of a digital flier for the rally and tagged ICE's X account, saying, 'y'all should get some agents here.'
Ogles is also pushing ahead with his intention to open an investigation into Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell, who has publicly criticized ICE and THP's operation. The congressman has accused the mayor and other city officials of repeatedly obstructing ICE operations, but O'Connell has stood firm against those claims.
News 2 saw one sign at the protest that read '8647.' The former director of the FBI, James Comey, also shared a picture of those numbers in a now-deleted Instagram post that garnered significant backlash from much of President Donald Trump's base. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X that Comey had 'called for the assassination' of Trump and that federal law enforcement would be investigating the 'threat.'
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