NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Tennessee immigrant rights group has filed a public records lawsuit against the state, claiming officials are withholding crucial information about an immigration sweep in Nashville.
On Thursday, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) filed the lawsuit against the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, which oversees the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP).
The lawsuit claims the agency has refused to release what TIRRC calls "readily accessible records" related to the immigration operation, despite more than 100 days passing since the initial request. According to the lawsuit, this constitutes a willful violation of the Tennessee Public Records Act.
"The fact that none of this has been shared or it's been heavily redacted is concerning to us," Lisa Sherman Luna, the executive director, said.
Following the first weekend of traffic stops in Antioch and South Nashville, home to the city's largest immigrant community, TIRRC requested dispatch reports, photos, dash cam footage, and records on the 287(g) program, which allows local law enforcement to assist federal immigration authorities.
"Even by ICE's own admission, they detained about 200 people, but we've only been able to identify about half of those people," Sherman Luna said. "So there's still 100 folks who are unaccounted for. We don't know where they are, or whether they've had access to legal representation."
TIRRC has received several hundred reports generated by the THP, but many are heavily redacted.
"Tennesseans deserve to know what happened over the course of those ten days," Sherman Luna said.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell was asked about the lawsuit at his weekly media roundtable. He said Metro Legal has considered filing its own records requests and will closely monitor TIRRC’s lawsuit.
Questions to the state about the allegations in the lawsuit have not yet been answered.
Do you know someone who has been affected by recent immigration enforcement actions in Nashville? Share your experience or ask questions about public records access by emailing hannah.mcdonald@NewsChannel5.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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