NASHVILLE, Tenn. — More than 100 people were detained this week in a joint immigration enforcement operation between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Tennessee Highway Patrol, igniting fear and outrage among Nashville’s immigrant communities as President Donald Trump’s mass deportation strategy takes root in Republican-led states.
The sweeping enforcement campaign resulted in 588 traffic stops and led to 103 arrests for immigration violations, according to the Highway Patrol. Officials said the operation, which began May 3, also resulted in the seizure of illegal drugs and firearms, including the apprehension of one individual wanted for homicide in El Salvador.
“This is unlike anything we’ve seen before,” said Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, on Friday. “It appears to be a targeted effort to intimidate and destabilize our immigrant neighborhoods.”
Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee recently signed legislation establishing a new state immigration enforcement division within the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, giving expanded powers to the Highway Patrol. He is one of several GOP governors pledging state-level cooperation to advance Trump’s deportation agenda. Just last week, Florida officials reported more than 1,100 arrests in a similar ICE-led operation.
While state leaders hailed the crackdown as a public safety success, city officials in Nashville—a Democratic stronghold—condemned the raids and insisted they were blindsided by the operation. Nashville Law Director Wally Dietz said the city received no prior notice and only learned of the operation after observing local police outside an ICE facility.
Dietz said city patrols near the immigration office were routine responses to general requests and not tied to any specific enforcement action. When he asked the Highway Patrol for more information, he said he was told to file a public records request.
The Highway Patrol denied accusations of profiling, asserting that all stops were based on traffic violations, not racial or ethnic targeting. “We stop based on what drivers do behind the wheel, not who they are,” the agency stated.
Still, immigrant rights advocates contend the operation disproportionately affected communities of color and believe racial profiling played a role. “What we’re hearing on the ground is that people are being pulled over for minor issues—broken taillights, tinted windows,” said Sherman Luna. “All signs point to this being a campaign of racial intimidation.”
She added that many of those arrested might qualify for legal relief but are forgoing court hearings due to fears of prolonged detention. “People are being pushed into deportation without access to proper legal representation,” she said.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, immigrants make up about 9% of the Nashville metro area’s population of 2 million. The city is home to significant communities from Mexico, Honduras, Sudan, Myanmar, and one of the largest Kurdish populations in the United States.
Sherman Luna called the arrests part of a broader effort to spread fear. “This is a strategy to strike at the heart of our vibrant, diverse, beautiful neighborhoods,” she said.
