Know Your Rights if ICE Comes to Tennessee

This page is information, not legal advice. Tennessee passed a 'Immigration 2026' package of more than a dozen bills crafted in cooperation with the White House. New state laws effective July 1, 2026 include a criminal charge for remaining in Tennessee more than 90 days after receiving a deportation order, and a mandate requiring all Tennessee sheriffs to enter 287(g) agreements by 2027. In May 2025, ICE and the Tennessee Highway Patrol conducted a six-night operation in Nashville resulting in 600+ traffic stops with documented racial profiling. Sixty or more agencies had 287(g) agreements as of spring 2026. Detainees are transferred to facilities in Louisiana and Texas. TIRRC's hotline received over 1,000 calls in two weeks during the Nashville operation. Verify current conditions with TIRRC, ACLU of Tennessee, or a licensed immigration attorney.

Tennessee's Republican supermajority announced a sweeping 'Immigration 2026' legislative package in January 2026, crafted in months of close collaboration with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. By April 2026, the legislature had passed more than a dozen bills imposing new immigration verification, reporting, and enforcement responsibilities on law enforcement, public health providers, social workers, and state agencies. Legislative leaders called it a national model for immigration enforcement.

The 2026 legislation builds on a 2025 omnibus immigration law that created $5 million in incentives for local law enforcement to partner with ICE. That law drove a fivefold increase in 287(g) agreements, from 2 agencies before the law to more than 60 by spring 2026. In May 2025, ICE and the Tennessee Highway Patrol conducted a joint operation in Nashville's immigrant corridors involving more than 600 traffic stops over six nights. Body camera footage - obtained through litigation by the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition - documented racial profiling, minor pretextual stops, and ICE agents expressing arrest quotas. Similar operations subsequently spread to Memphis under the Memphis Safe Task Force.

Tennessee falls within the New Orleans ICE field office's area of responsibility - a region that saw the largest increase in ICE arrests in the country, more than doubling after Trump's inauguration. Detainees from Tennessee are typically transferred to detention facilities in Louisiana and Texas, making legal access extremely difficult.

Part 1: Your rights under federal law - everywhere, including Tennessee

These rights come from the U.S. Constitution. They apply in Tennessee regardless of immigration status, citizenship, or how you entered the country.

At your front door

The Fourth Amendment protects your home from government entry without your consent or a judicial warrant. A judicial warrant is signed by a federal judge, based on probable cause, and authorizes entry to a specific address. An administrative warrant - ICE Form I-200 or I-205 - is signed by an immigration officer, not a judge, and does not authorize entry to your home without your consent. Ask through the door which type of warrant is being presented. If it is administrative, you are not required to open the door.

During a traffic stop - including Tennessee Highway Patrol stops

You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions about where you were born, your immigration history, or your status. You can say you are exercising your right to remain silent and want to speak to a lawyer. You can ask whether you are free to go. If the officer says yes, you may calmly leave.

Body camera footage from the May 2025 Nashville operation documented that THP troopers stopped drivers for minor violations - window tint, bent license plates, failure to illuminate the plate - and that troopers in at least 13 cases did not run drivers' licenses when they assessed (based on appearance) that drivers were white or Black and not of interest to ICE. In at least 7 cases, troopers specifically signaled to ICE which stops would not be of interest. This documentation establishes that the traffic stops were immigration enforcement using traffic violations as a pretext. Your right to remain silent on immigration questions applies during these stops.

If you have a deportation order - the new state crime

A new Tennessee law effective July 1, 2026 creates a Class A misdemeanor offense for a person to remain in Tennessee more than 90 days after receiving a federal deportation order. This is punishable by up to a year in jail. Under existing Tennessee law requiring local jails to cooperate with ICE for immigration verification, an arrest under this law would result in ICE notification.

This law is expected to face constitutional challenges. Comparable laws in Texas, Iowa, Louisiana, and Oklahoma are currently tied up in federal court, in part because of the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Arizona v. United States, which held that states cannot preempt federal immigration law. Tennessee Democratic Sen. Jeff Yarbro called the legal challenge 'utterly predictable.' The law was passed and is in effect; its ultimate fate depends on litigation. If you received a deportation order - including when you were a child - consult an immigration attorney immediately about how this law may affect you and the current status of legal challenges.

Do not sign anything without a lawyer

Documents presented during an ICE arrest may include voluntary departure agreements or stipulated removal orders that waive your right to a hearing before an immigration judge. Do not sign anything without speaking to an attorney first. Tennessee detainees have been transferred between multiple jails in the state and then to Louisiana - making legal access progressively harder. Sign nothing before reaching an attorney.

Part 2: The Immigration 2026 legislation package

The Immigration 2026 package, crafted in cooperation with Stephen Miller, includes more than a dozen laws passed in the 2026 legislative session. The major provisions:

New state crime for remaining after deportation order (SB1779/HB1704): Class A misdemeanor, effective July 1, 2026. Constitutionality under active litigation challenge based on Arizona v. United States precedent.

Mandatory 287(g) for all sheriffs: All Tennessee county sheriffs will be required to enter 287(g) agreements with ICE. This provision takes effect in 2027. Sheriffs who do not comply could lose state funding. As of spring 2026, 60+ agencies already had agreements. Davidson County (Nashville) had resisted - the Davidson County Sheriff's Office previously ended a 287(g) agreement after a pregnant woman spent hours in labor while shackled under the program - but faces funding pressure under the new mandate.

Courts required to cooperate with ICE: State and local courts are now required to cooperate with ICE agents.

Public benefit verification: Local governments must verify immigration status before allowing access to public benefits, with government employees who fail to report noncompliance facing criminal charges.

Immigration status tracking in schools: A tracking bill to determine how many public school students lack legal status advanced. A broader bill that would have required schools, hospitals, and police to report undocumented students and patients failed - but parts of it survived in other measures.

Part 3: The Nashville and Memphis operations

Operation Flood the Zone - Nashville, May 2025

In early May 2025, ICE and the Tennessee Highway Patrol conducted a joint enforcement operation in Nashville's immigrant-heavy neighborhoods, conducting more than 600 traffic stops over six nights. Nashville city officials were not notified in advance. The operation resulted in 196 arrests according to ICE - the TIRRC's investigation found fewer when cross-referencing documentation - and the mass transfer of detainees out of state.

Body camera footage obtained by TIRRC through litigation and analyzed by the Nashville Banner and Lighthouse Reports documented significant racial profiling. Troopers made stops for minor nonmoving violations - window tint, bent license plates - and 13 stops did not include running the driver's license when troopers visually assessed the driver as likely not being of immigration interest. In at least 7 instances, troopers explicitly communicated to ICE that a stopped driver was not someone they were interested in. One recorded ICE agent exchange, contemplating whether to arrest a particular driver, included an agent saying they had been told to arrest 'every single one.'

During and after the Nashville operation, TIRRC's hotline received more than 1,000 calls in two weeks from families searching for missing relatives. TIRRC converted its office into a missing persons call center. Detainees were shuttled from facility to facility - Putnam County, Knox County - then transferred to Louisiana and Texas. As of mid-October 2025, 121 of those detained had been deported, 15 bonded out (all from Louisiana, not Tennessee), and 12 remained in detention.

Memphis Safe Task Force operations

Enforcement operations subsequently spread to Memphis, where federal officers and Tennessee National Guard troops conducted what TIRRC described as mass street sweeps and warrantless arrests in Latino and working-class neighborhoods under the Memphis Safe Task Force banner.

Part 4: What to do right now, before anything happens

Know your A-number and make sure trusted family members have it written down. Transfers from Tennessee to Louisiana and Texas have been the documented pattern - family members need the A-number immediately to start locating a detained person.

Know TIRRC's hotline number before anything happens. During the Nashville operation, TIRRC received over 1,000 calls in two weeks. Their capacity to help families locate missing relatives is documented and real. Call them immediately if a family member disappears.

If you have a deportation order, consult with an immigration attorney immediately about the new state crime effective July 1, 2026, and the status of legal challenges to it. This law creates specific criminal exposure based on a federal deportation order. Children who received deportation orders while minors may be affected. Get legal advice now.

Know that the Tennessee Highway Patrol has 287(g) Task Force authority and body camera documentation establishes that enforcement operations have used traffic stops as pretexts for immigration enforcement based on driver appearance. Your right to remain silent on immigration questions applies during these stops.

Prepare guardianship documents for any children. During the Nashville operation, TIRRC documented a landscaper who disappeared on his way to work and was transferred between multiple jails before his family located him days later. Having a plan and documentation ready before an event is the only way to move quickly.

Part 5: Legal help and resources in Tennessee

The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) is the primary immigration advocacy and legal services coordination organization in Tennessee. During the Nashville operation, TIRRC operated a missing persons hotline and worked with a network of immigration legal services providers to locate detained individuals. Their executive director Lisa Sherman Luna and senior legal director Spring Miller have been central voices on enforcement in the state. TIRRC's website is tnimmigrant.org. Contact them immediately in any detention emergency.

ACLU of Tennessee has been active on enforcement issues and is tracking challenges to the Immigration 2026 legislation.

Southern Migrant Legal Services, a program of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, provides legal representation to agricultural workers in Tennessee and other Southern states.

Tennessee Lookout, Nashville Banner, and Lighthouse Reports have done the most in-depth journalism on Tennessee's enforcement landscape and the Immigration 2026 legislation.

For immigration court case information, call the EOIR automated line at 1-800-898-7180. To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov. Tennessee detainees are typically transferred to facilities in Louisiana and Texas - the locator may not update for 48+ hours after arrest. Call the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line at 1-888-351-4024 and contact TIRRC immediately.

Immigration Advocates Network lists Tennessee legal providers at immigrationadvocates.org.

Tennessee passed a White House-crafted Immigration 2026 package creating new state immigration crimes, mandating 287(g) agreements for all sheriffs, and requiring courts and public agencies to cooperate with ICE. Body camera footage documented racial profiling and pretextual traffic stops in the May 2025 Nashville operation. TIRRC's hotline received over 1,000 calls in two weeks as families searched for missing relatives transferred to Louisiana and Texas. The new state crime for remaining after a deportation order is effective July 1, 2026 and faces constitutional challenge. Your federal constitutional rights apply in full: an administrative warrant does not authorize entry to your home, your right to remain silent applies during traffic stops including those used as immigration pretexts, and you cannot be compelled to sign anything without a lawyer. Knowing those rights, calling TIRRC immediately in a detention emergency, and consulting an attorney if you have a deportation order are the foundations for protecting your family in Tennessee.

This page reflects conditions as of mid-2026. The new Tennessee state crime for remaining after a deportation order takes effect July 1, 2026, with constitutional challenges expected. The mandatory 287(g) for all sheriffs takes effect in 2027. The Nashville May 2025 operation is documented by 50+ hours of body camera footage obtained by TIRRC. Verify current enforcement conditions and the status of constitutional challenges with TIRRC or Tennessee Lookout.