RELEASE: OVERNIGHT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT IN NASHVILLE THREATENS FAMILIES, “REEKS OF RACIAL PROFILING”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2025
CONTACT
Luis Mata, LuisM@tnimmigrant.org, 865-297-8057
OVERNIGHT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT IN NASHVILLE THREATENS FAMILIES, “REEKS OF RACIAL PROFILING”
At Least 20 People Impacted By Latest ICE Activity
NASHVILLE— In the early hours of May 4, 2025, advocates and organizers in Nashville confirmed what appears to be a coordinated overnight immigration enforcement operation between Tennessee Highway Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to stop and arrest community members driving on and around Nolensville Road and Harding Place in South Nashville.
The following is a statement from Lisa Sherman Luna, Executive Director at the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition:
“Arbitrarily rounding up parents on their way home and workers traveling to their jobs does not make Nashville safer or stronger. Instead it shatters families, erodes trust in law enforcement, and leads to fear, trauma and isolation that weakens the collective fabric of our community. This is yet another unconscionable act of cruelty and abuse of power by ICE collaborating with state law enforcement that will have a devastating impact on families throughout Nashville and beyond.
What's more, this operation—which was focused on a neighborhood with an established, vibrant immigrant population—reeks of racial profiling and unconstitutional discrimination. We demand transparency from all levels of law enforcement on the nature and scope of this operation as we fight to protect the rights of all who live and work in our community, regardless of their immigration status.
The Trump administration, in collaboration with state and local agencies, is scaling up cruel and extreme immigration enforcement tactics in our very own communities. But community organizers, advocates, and organizations are on the ground supporting the impacted families with a clear vision of a Tennessee where all of us can belong and thrive, regardless of where we come from, how much money we make, or how we came to call Tennessee home. At this moment, our highest priority is ensuring that every person impacted has their fair day in court and that families can be reunited as soon as possible.”
###
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.