Federal immigration authorities conducted a large-scale enforcement operation in Memphis early Sunday that immigrant advocacy groups say resulted in the detention of more than 100 people at a local bar. The operation took place around 1 a.m. at El Corralón, a business on Macon Road in the city's Berclair neighborhood, advocates said. A spokesperson for the advocacy organization Vecindarios901 told Newsweek that federal agents detained more than 100 people and transported them from the scene on buses.
The figure has not been independently verified by authorities. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that it carried out what it described as a "multi-agency targeted enforcement operation" in Memphis on August 30 but released few details, citing an ongoing investigation. "More information will be released when available," an ICE spokesperson told Memphis Commercial Appeal.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told Newsweek it executed search warrants Sunday morning at a business in the 3000 block of Macon Road as part of an ongoing investigation. Vecindarios901 has said it believes the operation was the largest immigration raid in Memphis history. DHS, the Memphis Police Department, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Mayor Paul Young's office, and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office have been contacted for comment.
According to Vecindarios901, agents arrived with a search warrant related to an investigation involving alleged illegal gambling machines and possible drug activity at the establishment. The group said individuals who were inside the business at the time were detained during the operation. Memphis Mayor Paul Young said in a statement on August 30 that the operation was "unsettling" for community members.
Mayor Young added that the Memphis Police Department was not involved in planning or conducting the federal action. According to Young and the department, city officers responded only after federal agencies requested assistance with traffic and crowd control as people gathered in the area. MPD said its officers did not arrest or detain anyone.
There are questions we do not yet have answers to, particularly about actions taken by federal authorities. But I can assure you of this: the people impacted by what happened this morning are our neighbors. They are part of our Memphis community, and they deserve to be treated with dignity,” he said.
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