NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville advocacy group is calling the operation, conducted over the weekend by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, reeking of "racial profiling and discrimination."
The timeline
Early Sunday morning, THP confirms they pulled over 150 people, all across South Nashville, for what they call observed violations of traffic laws. But because the operation was in partnership with ICE and Homeland Security agents, those federal agents were able to step in on "immigration-related matters," according to a release from THP.
By mid-day Sunday, word spread about the operation.
"They swear my people are criminals. They swear my people are aliens when they look like you and me," said Gisselle Huerta, who runs the organization Hijos de Immigrantes.
It prompted concerned citizens to swarm the local Homeland Security office as buses sent those detained to a federal immigration facility in Louisiana.
The reaction
Immigration and Customs Enforcement released a lengthy statement about the sting. It reads in part:
“Protecting the safety and security of our communities remains a top priority for ICE. As part of our ongoing mission to uphold U.S. immigration laws, our targeted enforcement operations are specifically focused on individuals who threaten public safety or national security. These efforts help ensure that our neighborhoods remain safe and that immigration laws are enforced."
A spokesperson for the Tennessee Highway Patrol, in addition to detailing some aspects of the operation added:
"THP remains focused on traffic safety and supporting operations that protect Tennesseans from broader criminal threats."
The response
But Lisa Sherman Luna, with the Tennessee Immigration and Refugee Rights Coalition or TIRRC, said nothing could be further from the truth.
"I don’t see how stopping moms with babies in the car is keeping anyone more safe," said Luna. "To have the THP and ICE patrolling the heart of the immigrant community at night, and stopping people for things like broken tail lights or tinted windows is deeply troubling and reeks of racial profiling."
Since TIRRC learned of the operation, Luna and her team have been scrambling to identify all who were detained down in Louisiana.
"Right now, we’ve been able to verify about 40, but the calls keep coming in," she said.
Luna said, if you know of someone who was detained or you're related to them, please call their hotline — 615-414-1030 — so they can document who was all detained. She ensured all of the data will be kept confidential.
Their next goal is to equip all of those individuals with legal assistance.
"It’s really important that all the individuals who were arrested or detained understand and know their rights and are connected to legal resources and support," said Luna.
The remaining questions
On Monday, several Tennessee lawmakers from the Nashville area sent a letter to THP asking questions about their partnership with the federal government. One specific question asked if the Tennessee Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division, that was created by Tennessee lawmakers during a special session this year, played any role in the operation.
NewsChannel 5 reached out to a spokesperson to Gov. Bill Lee.
Elizabeth Lane Johnson confirmed the creation of the new department.
"In partnership with the General Assembly, Gov. Lee established the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division to strengthen the state’s ability to identify and address the presence of individuals in Tennessee who are subject to final orders of removal or who are violent criminal offenders in the country unlawfully," Johnson wrote.
But Johnson declined to comment on the division's involvement.
"Questions regarding law enforcement operations and the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division should be referred to the Department of Safety," she said.
NewsChannel 5 reached out to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, but so far, we haven't heard back.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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