Nashville vigil commemorates the ICE kidnappings of a year ago

NASHVILLE—A vigil of remembrance and defiance was held at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in North Nashville on May 7 to honor families whose members were kidnapped by federal agents in raids of a year ago.

The poignant and moving memorial mainly sponsored by Music City Migra Watch, an immigrant advocacy organization based in Nashville, and other organizations. Dozens were in attendance.

Speaker after speaker expressed feelings of great emotion in connection with the ICE raids of May 2025. In those incidents, over 190 Latino people were taken into custody by ICE, assisted by the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP).

Sentiments were expressed of remembrance and outrage “over those taken from us.” The detentions, speakers said, were based on racial profiling, and they recounted stories of many people being brutally dragged from their vehicles.

Speakers pointed out that ICE agents are paid for by residents’ tax dollars, what one called “fully funded fascism” in Nashville. The necessity of a continued fightback was a common theme, with one speaker pointing out that “racists came out with the election of this president.” Another emphasized that “people are still being kidnapped every day,” and that “white peers must do more.”

Migra Watch, which keeps the field office under constant surveillance, reported that 15-20 people are still brought to this ICE facility daily.

Among the speakers was Metro Councilmember Jacob Kupin. He referenced his relatives who survived the Holocaust and said the raids of a year ago were racism against brown and Black people. Kupin said the ICE onslaught unleashed by the Trump administration represents “the end of our country as we knew it.”

At the vigil, participants placed shoes on a blanket that was spread on the lawn of the ICE building. Each pair of shoes represented someone disappeared from their home and community. The vigil was defiantly held in front of a “No Trespassing sign,” which also read “Violators Will Be Prosecuted.”

The objective of the commemoration was not only to remember those detained, organizers said, but was also a call for continued action and for a change in immigration and enforcement practices and policies.

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