Tennessee immigrant group sues over raid records
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A Tennessee nonprofit is suing to get access to records tied to an immigration crackdown that roiled Nashville.
Why it matters: Authorities arrested about 200 people during an immigration sweep in May. They've released some details but have not provided records for all of the arrests.
Catch up quick: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security agents worked with the Tennessee Highway Patrol to conduct scores of traffic stops in south Nashville, which is home to many Hispanic residents. Metro police officers were not involved.
Zoom in: The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) requested public records on the operation.
- "Although the Tennessee Highway Patrol produced some records, it also implausibly denied the existence of others, redacted some groundlessly, and delayed its production of video footage to the point of denial," the TIRRC said in a statement.
- The group filed a complaint Thursday in Davidson County Chancery Court saying the THP was violating public records laws.
What she's saying: "The Tennessee Public Records Act ensures that ordinary Tennesseans can access information about how their government works and how state authority is being exercised in their name," TIRRC executive director Lisa Sherman Luna said in the statement.
- "It is important for all of us that state agencies comply with their obligations under this law."
- The state did not immediately respond to a request for comment.