Video of the incident shows plainclothes law enforcement agents apparently entering a worksite by force and detaining workers
NASHVILLE– As information surrounding an immigration enforcement operation Sunday at a local Memphis food truck, TACOnganas, continues to emerge, the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) has joined community members in raising concerns and demanding transparency.
Video of the incident shows plainclothes law enforcement agents, at least one of whose face was covered, apparently entering a worksite by force and detaining workers. The agents do not appear to have identified themselves or shown a warrant. According to media reports, the Department of Homeland Security has since identified the agents as DHS Homeland Security Investigations agents, and indicated that the enforcement was related to potential labor trafficking.
The following is a statement from Lisa Sherman Luna, Executive Director of Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition:
“As more details continue to emerge, TIRRC calls on state and federal officials to clarify the scope, target, and nature of Monday’s enforcement action and to ensure that federal agencies are complying with federal law and policy in their enforcement activities. We want to send a message loud and clear: enforcement actions like this erode trust in our community and make all of us less safe. Memphians are painfully aware of the danger that ICE presents to their lives and their families.
The city must also address the ongoing pattern of law enforcement’s unequal treatment of people of color. The city needs to listen to and heed the demands of Black and brown communities who have experienced violence at the hands of law enforcement agents and have been organizing for urgent reforms. No matter where we’re from, the color of our skin, or how we came to call Tennessee home, we deserve the freedom to make a better life for our families, the freedom to get home safe at the end of the day, and the freedom to belong and thrive in Tennessee.”
The following is a statement from Spring Miller, Senior Legal Director of Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition:
“TIRRC is deeply concerned about the nature of this immigration enforcement action based on the video and numerous community reports. While this action would raise troubling questions under any circumstance, TIRRC is particularly concerned about the targeting of a worksite that has been widely reported to be under federal labor investigation.
Longstanding DHS policy under administrations of both parties requires ICE to avoid enforcement actions that undermine federal labor investigations. This policy supports the interest all workers have in ensuring the effective enforcement of federal labor laws. Despite this, agents appear to have targeted vulnerable workers at a worksite that has publicly been under a federal labor investigation, arresting workers who could have been victims of labor abuses or witnesses to crimes. These actions could deter other workers from reporting labor violations or cooperating with investigators.”
