RELEASE: Court Weighs in on Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Obligations to Disclose Information in the Wake of Large-Scale Traffic Stops Targeting Immigrants
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2025
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Court Weighs in on Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Obligations to Disclose Information in the Wake of Large-Scale Traffic Stops Targeting Immigrants
Advocates filed a lawsuit after the state agency refused to release public documents related to ICE partnership operation
NASHVILLE – A Davidson County judge weighed in today on the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition’s (TIRRC) demand for transparency from the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) in the wake of its coordination with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enact large-scale traffic stops targeting Tennessee’s immigrant community. The judge agreed with advocates that THP likely over-redacted information relating to the operation, and will hold another court hearing to address which pieces of currently-redacted information the agency will be required to disclose.
“All Tennesseans deserve leaders who will be transparent and honest with the people they are charged with protecting. This wide-scale operation between ICE and THP caused needless fear, chaos, and disruption for families and individuals throughout our state, and we still do not have any clarity as to why or how this happened,” said Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director of TIRRC. “We do not have all the answers we need, but today’s ruling is an important step forward. It’s not only our legal right, but also our duty as an organization that protects the rights of immigrants and refugees across the state of Tennessee that we hold leaders accountable when they harm our neighbors, and we will not stop fighting for answers.”
Background: In May, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Coalition (TIRRC) filed Public Records Act requests to access the records related to a joint operation between the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in which THP used its state powers to enforce federal civil immigration laws through widespread traffic stops, interrogations, and detentions of motorists on roadways in Middle Tennessee.
In its petition, TIRRC alleged that although the Tennessee Highway Patrol produced some records, it also implausibly denied the existence of others, redacted some groundlessly, and delayed its production of video footage to the point of denial.
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The Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) is a statewide, immigrant and refugee-led collaboration whose mission is to build power, amplify our voices, and organize communities to advocate for our rights in order to build a stronger, more inclusive Tennessee where people of all nationalities, immigration statuses, and racial identities can belong and thrive. Since its founding in 2001, TIRRC has grown from a grassroots network of community leaders into one of the most diverse and effective coalitions of its kind, a model for emerging immigrant rights organizations in the Southeast and throughout the United States.