The Davidson County Sheriff's Office will end its practice of holding detainees on behalf of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, marking another victory for local advocates who have been seeking to disentangle Nashville's government from federal immigration enforcement.
The DCSO has been holding ICE detainees since 1996 under an agreement between Metro and the federal government. Sheriff Daron Hall said in an announcement Tuesday morning that the sheriff's office is in negotiations with the United States Marshal Service and looking to come to an agreement that would allow Metro to continue receiving some revenue for holding people in USMS custody, while removing ICE from the agreement.
"The continued confusion and hyper-political nature of this issue has become a distraction from sheriff's office priorities," Hall said in the announcement. "The number of individuals detained as a result of this contract is less than one percent of overall jail bookings; however I spend an inordinate amount of my time debating its validity."
The ways that people in Nashville end up in the deportation pipeline, and the movement to protect and support those immigrants, was the subject of a Scene cover story in September.
The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, which has led the activist fight against ICE in Nashville, applauded Hall's decision in a release of its own.
“At a critical moment for immigrant families, TIRRC is proud to work alongside our engaged community members and local leaders who believe in making our city safer and more welcoming for everyone who calls Nashville home,”[policy director Lisa] Sherman-Nikolaus said. “Sheriff Hall’s decision to end the jail’s rent-a-bed agreement with ICE is an important first step toward disentangling our jail from civil immigration enforcement and ensuring that our city is not complicit in tearing families apart.”“Under the contract, ICE was allowed to use our jail as a temporary dumping ground for anyone they detain with potential civil immigration violations,” Sherman-Nikolaus said. “While ending this agreement will not completely prevent the jail from holding people for ICE, it is one step towards drawing a brighter line between federal immigration and local law enforcement.”
At-Large Metro Councilmember Bob Mendes said, “Our goal is for every one of Nashville’s residents to have faith and trust in their ability to fully interact with city government, whether that’s through schools, the health department or the justice system, and Sheriff Hall’s announcement moves our city closer to that goal."
In announcing the change, Hall defended the sheriff's office overall policy approach.
"Over the past 15 years, I challenge you to find a sheriff's office whose immigration-related policies have been more responsible," Hall said. "Taking into consideration our important public safety role and our goal of being community-minded, we have always worked to see our policies evolve accordingly. This approach hasn't always been popular, but responsible. We will now move forward, continuing to focus on significant issues such as decriminalization of mental illness and criminal justice reform."
But Hall's record on immigration has been controversial. He oversaw the office's participation in the ICE's 287(g) program, through which the DCSO screened detainees for immigration violations. That program came under harsh scrutiny in 2008, when Juana Villegas was arrested in Nashville after a traffic stop. She was nine months pregnant and living in the country undocumented. And because of the DCSO's cooperation with ICE, she was held without bond for six days. While in custody, Villegas gave birth to a baby boy while chained to a hospital bed. The city settled the case in 2013 for nearly half a million dollars. The DCSO ended its participation in the 287(g) program in 2012.
