Facing the heat? ICE officials see protest after 150 Nashville traffic stops

Immigrant rights groups protested outside a local ICE office May 4 after federal and state agencies conducted over 150 traffic stops in a joint operation. The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), ICE, and Homeland Security Investigations targeted areas with high crash rates and suspected gang activity, state officials said.

What happened at the traffic stops?

Troopers stopped drivers lacking valid licenses, leading federal agents to handle immigration cases, according to a Tennessee Department of Safety statement. Arrests included warrants, illegal firearms, and drug seizures—some linked to alleged gang members. “Our operations focus on public safety threats,” ICE New Orleans Director Mellissa Harper said May 5, calling enforcement “strategic” and “respectful.”

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But witnesses like Ashley Warbington reported unmarked vehicles detaining drivers in Antioch during early hours May 4. “I saw someone put in an unmarked car and driven away,” Warbington told The Tennessean.

Advocates rallied for hours, demanding answers about detainees’ locations and release timelines. “The scale is unlike anything we’ve seen,” said Lisa Sherman Luna of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC). She confirmed 40 individuals were arrested or transferred to Louisiana detention centers, with dozens still unaccounted for.

City mayor distances MNPD

Meanwhile Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell distanced city police from the operation. “MNPD wasn’t involved,” he said on May 4, noting state officers managed protests. "MNPD has no federal immigration authority, is not trained to conduct immigration enforcement, and lacks access to federal immigration databases," O'Connell told The Tennessean. "They do respond to calls for service and help ensure public safety during protest events anywhere in the city, including the one Sunday just off the property of the federal ICE office."

State Rep. Aftyn Behn called reports “deeply disturbing,” questioning THP’s role in ICE detentions. “What they do is terrorize families, disrupt lives and shatter trust between law enforcement and the communities they are supposed to serve,” Behn said.

Federal authorities defended the effort. Harper said ICE prioritizes “national security” while maintaining community trust. Critics, however, argue the stops instill fear. “These operations terrorize families,” Sherman Luna said.