The Fight

In May 2025, ICE and the Tennessee Highway Patrol conducted a six-night joint operation in Nashville’s Latino neighborhoods, executing more than 600 traffic stops and detaining between 40 and 100 people. Investigations by the Nashville Banner revealed the operation involved profiling suspected immigrants and contradicted law enforcement claims about targeting criminals for public safety.

The fallout was significant: THP subsequently rejected all further ICE partnership requests, and the operation became a defining scandal of Tennessee’s immigration enforcement expansion.

Key Details

The May 2025 operation

• Duration: 6 nights in May 2025
• Traffic stops: 600+
• Detained: 40-100 people
• Location: South Nashville immigrant-rich neighborhoods
• Agencies: ICE + Tennessee Highway Patrol

Investigation findings (Nashville Banner, Feb 2026)

• Body camera footage showed demeaning behavior during traffic stops
• Officers used pejorative language toward detainees
• Detainees were marked with numbers as part of an apparent contest to track which officers made the most arrests
• ICE and THP inflated safety claims to justify the operation
• The operation specifically targeted immigrant communities, not criminal activity

THP rejection of ICE

• THP Colonel Matt Perry: “We’ve done one and only operation, and it was last May”
• ICE “periodically reached out to request participation” after the operation but THP declined
• Commissioner Jeff Long told lawmakers his agency would investigate misconduct, and connected THP’s decision to stop joint operations to troopers’ experiences during the Nashville operation

Broader Nashville enforcement trends

• ICE detainer requests surged in Nashville under Trump — nearly 4x in Feb 2025 vs. Feb 2024
• ICE arrested 6,251 people statewide between Jan 20 and Oct 15, 2025
• 73% of Jan-May 2025 arrests occurred in jails and lockups
• Before Jan 2025: 23% of detainees had aggravated felony convictions; after: only 11%
• December 2025: Reports of renewed ICE activity near Nashville businesses (SIP Cafe)

Sources

• How ICE, THP targeted Nashville immigrants, inflated safety claims (Nashville Banner, Feb 19, 2026)
• Nashville families still reeling from May 2025 operation (Nashville Banner, Feb 19, 2026)
• ICE and THP raid Nashville’s Latino neighborhoods (Nashville Banner, May 4, 2025)
• THP rejects ICE overtures after joint operation (Tennessee Lookout, Mar 9, 2026)
• ICE detainer requests surge in Nashville under Trump (Nashville Banner, Mar 5, 2025)
• Reports of renewed ICE activity in Nashville (Nashville Banner, Dec 11, 2025)
• Check-ins can lead to arrests as ICE’s net widens (Nashville Scene, 2025)