(The Center Square) – Four people in the country illegally and with criminal backgrounds were arrested in a joint operation between the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency said.
ICE said the operation resulted in the arrest of a 37-year-old Venezuelan, Tren de Aragua affiliate gang member; a 39-year-old Mexican with six prior removals from the U.S. and convictions for felony domestic assault and sex with a minor; a 28-year-old Mexican national with a conviction for reckless aggravated assault; and a 56-year-old Mexican national with a conviction for drug possession.
Overall, 84 people identified as “illegal immigrants” were taken into custody.
“Law enforcement is focused on apprehending removable criminal aliens who pose a threat to public safety,” the agency said in a release. “All individuals taken into custody during this operation are currently pending immigration proceedings or removal.”
The operation drew ire from several groups. The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition said the operation “reeks of racial profiling and unconstitutional discrimination.”
The Southern Christian Coalition called it “cruel and inhumane.”
“This is just another strategy designed to divide us, pitting all of us against each other while wealthy prison executives profit from our pain,” said Rev. Josh Scott, pastor of Nashville’s Gracepointe Community Church. “Those in power benefit when we’re led to blame immigrants, rather than unite across our differences to demand just policies that will help all families thrive.”
Gov. Bill Lee spearheaded the creation of a new state agency focused on illegal immigration. The General Assembly approved his request for a new Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division. Ryan Hubbard, a 28-year law enforcement veteran, was appointed the first chief immigration enforcement officer.
