A raid conducted by immigration agents in the Berclair neighborhood of Memphis early on Aug. 30 was executed on two warrants, but the law enforcement intentions were "dubious," said said Casey Bryant, an immigration attorney and the executive director for Advocates for Immigrant Rights.
Around 1 a.m. on Aug. 30, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided El Corralón, a bar in the Berclair neighborhood. They detained more than 100 people, one of the largest immigration operations in at least recent Memphis history, according to advocates.
"This was an order of magnitude bigger than what we've seen in the past," Bryant said. "From what I can tell, officers who were there arrested everyone who was there and then figured out the reason for their
arrest later."
The operation was executed based on two Tennessee Bureau of Investigation warrants — one related to illegal gambling and another related to drugs, Bryant said.
"I feel like it's pretty dubious that these search warrants were really part of an active criminal investigation, considering that the law enforcement officers who were part of the safe task force rolled up with vans ready to load people up," Bryant said. "That's nothing that we see in a criminal investigation. That's what we see in an immigration raid."
It's unclear how many people, if any, were arrested on charges of illegal gambling or drug activity, Bryant said. The people who were arrested at the scene were booked through the ICE office in Memphis and not through the Memphis Police Department.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young said MPD was not part of the operation.
Bryant said some detainees were told to sign voluntary departure orders. Many detainees were taken to the ICE facility in Mason, Tennessee.
Vecindarios901, an immigrant advocacy organization that fields calls from Memphis-area residents about ICE activity in Shelby County, has identified around 90 of the people detained in the operation, said the organization's co-founder Hunter Demster.
Demster said there were Enforcement and Removal Operations officers on scene as well. These law enforcement officers are responsible for the identification and removal of people who are suspected of being in the country illegally.
"That was a full-blown ICE operation," he said.
ICE confirmed the operation but did not provide any further information.
"On August 30, ICE conducted a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation on Macon Road in Memphis, Tennessee," an ICE spokesperson said via email. "This is an ongoing investigation. More information will be released when available."
A spokesperson with the Memphis Safe Task Force said the raid was not a MSTF operation.
What are my rights?
If you're questioned by immigration enforcement agencies, you should exercise your right to remain silent and don't sign anything you don't understand, Bryant advised. Running or resisting arrest could result in a criminal charge, making a potential immigration case more difficult.
It's important to know if you're being detained or arrested and why, and to understand who the arresting agency is. You can also ask for a name and a badge number, Bryant said.
If you have lawful status, you can show and say that, Bryant said, but it's most important to understand who the arresting agency is, what the arrest authority is, and to remain silent.
Jack Armstrong covers breaking news and the environment for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at jack.armstrong@commercialappeal.com and followed on X @jca2902.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why did ICE agents raid a bar in Memphis' Berclair neighborhood Sunday?
