A joint operation with Davidson County deputes and ICE led to nearly 100 people detained in the Nashville area over the weekend, including an alleged gang member.
The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County has released a full timeline of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation that led to the arrest of dozens of people.
According to the timeline, the arrests began on Thursday, May 1 around noon.
At 11:47am, inspector Jackson Sanders with the Federal Protective Service of the US Department of Homeland Security called the Department of Emergency Communications to request extra law enforcement at Nashville’s ICE facility for Sunday, May 4.
In the overnight hours of Saturday, May 3 into Sunday, the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) and ICE conducted a joint operation, resulting in around 150 traffic stops and “a few” arrests.
NBC affiliate WSMV4 report 94 individuals were detained.
“During the operation, ICE detained 94 individuals for further investigation and transport. According to ICE, this includes a convicted child sex predator and a known Tren de Aragua gang member. Several of the other encounters involved suspected gang members, including Tren de Aragua affiliates, and led to the recovery of illegal drugs and firearms—taking dangerous elements off the street and making Tennessee safer,” THP said.
On Sunday morning, the request for extra law enforcement was put into motion at 10:00am when officers drove to the ICE facility to inquire why patrols were requested. They answered that the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) had been hearing reports of the overnight operation in South Nashville.
Not long after, the officers left the facility to answer unrelated calls before returning to conduct extra patrol.
As North Precinct Officer Cory Bean drove around to the back of the property, he saw that the driveway was blocked with people. Officers remained at the scene to monitor the crowd until THP took over.
According to Dietz, the MNPD had no involvement in the operation, and that they do not know the identities of those detained or why they were taken. He says he has requested their named in a letter to ICE officers.
“The coordinated activity between THP and ICE caught everyone at Metro by surprise,” Dietz said. “MNPD confirms they played no role and were not involved in any way with the joint operation. THP’s own statement confirms there was no MNPD involvement. Additionally, I have seen no evidence to indicate MNPD participation.”
