MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WTVF) — The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Tennessee filed for a preliminary injunction Thursday seeking to stop the Memphis Safe Task Force from retaliating against residents who record and observe immigration and law enforcement activity in the city.
According to the filing, community members who documented the task force’s operations described being surveilled outside their homes, followed by law enforcement vehicles, pulled over under false pretenses and subjected to intimidation tactics.
“Despite the intimidation I have faced from the Task Force, I know that it’s important to stand up for my rights,” plaintiff Hunter Demster said in a statement released by the ACLU. “I have a constitutional right to observe Task Force agents without worrying that they might be surveilling my house or following my car.”
The lawsuit centers on the Memphis Safe Task Force, a coalition of 31 federal, state and local agencies launched in 2025. The ACLU said the task force has conducted large-scale immigration arrests and mass traffic stops throughout Memphis.
Additional declarations filed in court describe several alleged encounters with agents and officers. One plaintiff said they were tackled to the ground while documenting activity, while others described being followed through residential neighborhoods late at night by law enforcement vehicles.
The lawsuit also challenges how the task force has used Tennessee’s “Halo Law,” which prohibits people from approaching law enforcement officers within 25 feet after being warned to back away. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argue the law has been used to prevent residents from peacefully documenting law enforcement activity protected under the First Amendment.
“The First Amendment is not just words on a piece of paper — it protects the ability of everyday people to observe and record their government and hold it accountable,” ACLU-TN staff attorney Zee Scout said in the release.
The motion asks the court to block the task force from retaliating against plaintiffs for documenting its operations and from applying the Halo Law to those activities. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Named defendants include Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and leaders of DHS, ICE, CBP, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
As we honor those who have served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice, it is also heartening to see the military right a wrong. Chris Davis brings us the moving story of a Purple Heart ceremony two decades in the making. It's worth a watch.
A heartfelt thanks to all who bravely serve.
- Carrie Sharp
