EDITORIAL: Ice Runs Cold, Love Runs Warm

Belmont Vision Multimedia, Zach Watkins

An unidentified number of people were detained in South Nashville by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Tennessee Highway Patrol on Sunday. 

The Nashville Banner reported on the THP noting the new public safety operation in partnership with ICE and Homeland Security Investigations. The operation started “in Davidson County — in areas with a history of serious traffic crashes and suspected gang activity,” the Nashville Banner said.  

While the THP defends the event as a safety measure, others find that “it shatters families, erodes trust in law enforcement, and leads to fear, trauma and isolation that weakens the collective fabric of our community,” the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition said in a statement to the Banner.  

Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones responded to Sunday’s events in a statement on Instagram.  

“Weaponizing the THP to terrorize immigrant communities and rip families apart is reprehensible and makes our communities less safe. My office will be continuing to press Governor Lee’s administration… about these racist stops, the names of those detained, and the role racial profiling played in targeting immigrants commuting home,” said Jones. 

While drivers were randomly pulled over on Nolensville Road, I boarded a plane headed for New York. 

My Long Island hometown and counties have experienced an influx of ICE within their borders this year. 

In January, plain-clothed ICE agents randomly checked a household in Brentwood, New York, looking for undocumented children.  

In February, Islip Forward, a civic engagement association for my town, adopted a community-organized platform tracking verified sightings of ICE throughout Suffolk County. Four of the seven verified sightings documented since April have been in Brentwood. 

In March, the Nassau County Police Department announced a task force agreement with ICE “to assist with President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.” Nassau County is a neighbor of Suffolk County. 

Another thing to note about Brentwood: only 78.5% of the population are citizens, a population of over 65,000 people. Hispanic people make up 72.9% of the population. 

I’m Hispanic, and so are half of my family and so many of my loved ones. 

I’m fortunate that my family is citizens and has remained safe throughout the uncertainty. I also hate that the same worries my loved ones face in New York have made their way to Nashville, my second home. 

It’s not exclusive to places I’ve lived, though. It’s a national promise to disrupt whatever peace the country has left. 

There’s no easy way to go about the challenges ICE adds to a community, yet they should not lead us to fear our neighbors. Where’s the love in that? 

No change can come if our representatives don’t hear our concerns directly from us. Then, our leaders have the choice to protect our futures. 

Find your representative here.  

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This column was written by Ria Skyer