A federal judge declined to stop Tennessee troopers from making traffic stops with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who are riding in troopers' cruisers in Memphis.
The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, or TIRRC, sued the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Department of Homeland Safety and Security and each agency's leaders, looking for an end to the practice statewide, which TIRRC argued unconstitutionally targeted drivers based on race or ethnicity.
U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger on Sept. 23 ruled TIRRC had not yet provided enough evidence for her to order troopers to stop working in tandem with ICE. TIRRC had thus far made a "weak showing," Trauger wrote, to prove the Memphis operation is motivated by a discriminatory
purpose and has a discriminatory effect.
TIRRC alleged that THP and ICE have been working together, wherein troopers pull over Hispanic drivers for minor infractions and ICE agents investigate the drivers' immigration status. The arrangement complements the agencies' law enforcement powers: ICE cannot stop motorists, and THP cannot question immigration status.
ICE agents rode along with THP during the May 2025 immigration operation in Nashville, which targeted immigrant-dense neighborhoods in South Nashville. Dashcam footage from the Nashville operation shows troopers and ICE agents called targets demeaning names and referred to the operation as "huntin' time," a group of news outlets reported.
TIRRC provided what they say is evidence of discrimination from the Nashville operation, including that "92% of the detained motorists were racial or ethnic minorities," Trauger wrote. The evidence TIRRC provided from the ongoing Memphis operation, however, was sparse and mostly anecdotal.
TIRRC's “robust proof” from Nashville was "simply not sufficiently connected to the Memphis Task Force to be particularly relevant," Trauger ruled.
THP has said the stops occur because troopers have probable cause of a traffic violation. As for troopers' comments, THP's lawyers argued they "carry little weight unless they can be imputed to those higher up in the chain of command." Trauger found this argument "misguided."
The ruling came just a day after oral argument. The case remains ongoing. The injunction TIRRC sought was preliminary.
Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Judge declines to stop state troopers' traffic stops with ICE
