TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on May 20, 2026

The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), Metro Councilmember Terry Vo and several Tennessee taxpayers filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Davidson County Chancery Court seeking to block the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) from participating in joint immigration enforcement operations with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to the Nashville Banner, the lawsuit alleges THP troopers unlawfully stopped motorists suspected of being noncitizens so ICE agents could investigate immigration status. The group argues the practice violates the Fourth and 14th amendments through warrantless arrests and racial profiling. Plaintiffs also claim the operations divert state resources away from traffic safety enforcement. The suit seeks to bar THP from coordinating with federal immigration agents on such operations and from making traffic stops based on race or ethnicity.