Less than half of the 196 people arrested locally by Immigration and Customs Enforcement had any criminal history, the agency claims in an informational release published nine days after a sharp uptick in arrests in the Nashville area.Â
Immigration roundups terrorize South Nashville and take residents with no criminal history
Tuesday's release is the public’s most detailed look at the operation between federal agents and the Tennessee Highway Patrol that has paralyzed many immigrants in the city with fear of deportation. In the release, the Department of Homeland Security calls Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell a “pro-open borders” politician and highlights 287g, a policy that allows collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE.
Under the policy, state troopers can communicate individuals’ immigration status to the federal government, which can then provide probable cause for an arrest.Â
The 101 arrested with no criminal history contradict ICE regional director Brian Acuna’s own claim that agents were “targeting violent felonies” over days of dragnet operations in South Nashville. Just 95 of the 196 arrested recently in Nashville had any criminal history, according to DHS, which named four individuals accused of or sentenced for violent crimes.
Federal agent requested police patrols for 'field operation' two days before mass immigrant arrests
The release does not include the number of stops by state troopers that resulted in no citation or no action whatsoever over the past nine days. The focus on Nashville also suggests that the city has been a national focus of ICE enforcement. Traffic traps dramatically decreased over the weekend, during which time ICE agents were seen on Lower Broadway probing bar and restaurant staff.
In the release, the Department of Homeland Security — headed by former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Donald Trump appointee — refers to ICE collaboration with state troopers on traffic traps as a “successful operation.” The release speaks about arrests in the past tense, suggesting a discrete effort that may lessen or have already concluded.
Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin referred to the 196 arrests as a “successful operation” that “resulted in getting gang members, sex offenders, and other violent criminals off Nashville’s streets.” The release cites the arrest of one Iraqi national who failed to register as a sex offender and one El Salvadoran man associated with MS-13, a Los Angeles-based criminal organization.Â
Numerous studies show that U.S.-born citizens commit violent crimes and weapons-related crimes at much higher rates than unauthorized immigrants. In fact, the threat of deportation has been linked to lower crime rates by undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Update, May 14: "Accountability must never come at the expense of due process, human dignity or community trust," reads a statement issued by the Metro Council's Immigrant Caucus on Tuesday evening. "The language and framing in the DHS announcement dangerously stigmatize entire immigrant communities in Nashville and misrepresents the reality of what has transpired. ... Federal agents — acting under the guise of public safety — approached children at bus stops, interrogated them about their parents' immigration status, and left a 9-year-old child alone for hours after his parent was detained."
The caucus also encourages donations to Nashville Unidos Fund and the newly launched Belonging Fund, initiatives providing assistance to families affected by the ICE sweeps.
