A spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed to The Tennessee Star on Thursday that ICE agents were responsible for the arrests of three Mexican nationals at TACOnganas, a fast food truck in Memphis, after security camera showing the arrests was published earlier this week.
After Memphis Mayor Paul Young said in a statement that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was involved in the arrests, ICE told The Star that the three men who were arrested are illegal immigrants from Mexico, and that two of those who were arrested were previously convicted of offenses related to their immigration status.
“The video shows ICE HSI Memphis arresting three Mexican nationals unlawfully present in the U.S. as part of a work site enforcement operation,” an ICE spokesman told The Star.
ICE additionally told The Star the arrests were made after the agency received a “information related to labor trafficking,” and that two of the men who ICE arrested were previously convicted on “immigration related violations.”
The confirmation by ICE additionally comes after TACOnganas stated that their employees reported being in ICE custody, despite the company claiming it “complies with federal and local immigration laws.”
Video published by the company showed federal law enforcement officers, wearing civilian clothing, approach the TACOnganas food truck, and take three men into custody. The video was viewed more than 1.8 million times on Facebook by press time.
ICE’s confirmation comes after the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference (TNDAGC) released a report showing just 59 illegal immigrants were arrested or convicted in Shelby County, the seat of Memphis, during the last three months of 2024.
Other Tennessee counties with large cities reported hundreds of arrests or convictions over the same time period, including 796 in Davidson County and 242 in Knox County.
Neither ICE nor HSI confirmed to The Star that it receives cooperation from law enforcement in Memphis or Shelby County. The Tennessee General Assembly recently passed legislation allowing criminal charges to be filed against local officials who pass sanctuary city legislation, or those who allow their communities to remain sanctuary cities.
Watch the full video released by TACOnganas:
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
