The Allies of Knoxville’s Immigrant Neighbors (AKIN) filed a habeas corpus petition seeking the release of Alejandro Guizar Lozano, 32, who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier this month, after being convicted of driving under the influence (DUI), and reportedly possession of methamphetamine, since immigrating illegally to the United States as a child.
Federal filings confirm AKIN filed the lawsuit last Friday in the U.S. Court for the Western District of Louisiana, where Guizar Lozano was reportedly transferred after being detained in Nashville. The record shows AKIN is seeking a temporary restraining order, which would likely result in Guizar Lozano’s release from federal custody.
In its lawsuit, AKIN reportedly claims that the Trump administration detained Guizar Lozano (pictured above) during a check-in with federal authorities as retribution for his purported work as an immigration activist. AKIN previously claimed that Guizar Lozano was affiliated with their group for years, with one activist claiming to have known the illegal immigrant since childhood.
Megan Conley, the group’s chairman, told WATE, “ICE has a well-established pattern of retaliating against outspoken critics, and Alejandro’s detention is the latest example of this broader crackdown against dissent.”
Despite Guizar Lozano being in the country illegally, she told the outlet, “We call this an abduction because ICE has produced no legitimate legal basis for his detention. We should all be concerned when the government targets dissidents and detains them without charges. Alejandro’s lawsuit is defending the constitutional rights that we all depend on.”
The activist group has not acknowledged Guizar Lozano’s criminal history, which includes a conviction for DUI in Davidson County in 2020, as well as a reported conviction for possessing methamphetamine in 2022.
On the same day, he was charged with DUI Davidson County records additionally show that Guizar Lozano was charged with two counts of felony reckless endangerment, but those charges were later dropped.
These charges against Guizar Lozano were for offenses that allegedly occurred on September 23, 2020, just under one year after a previous encounter with the law on September 26, 2019, when Guizar Lozano was charged with DUI, but the record shows it resolved as nolle prosequi, a Latin phrase meaning “to be unwilling to pursue,” signifying a prosecutor elected to drop the case.
He was ultimately convicted of DUI in 2022, while WATE reported the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) confirmed the methamphetamine conviction occurred in February 2025. WVLT reported that an ICE spokesman said Guizar Lozano confirmed the drug conviction occurred before he was taken into custody.
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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].
Photo “Alejandro Guizar Lozano” by Knoxville Democrats.
Insanity prevails. Illegals get treated better than citizens.
Clearly there was no reason to arrest anyone with meth, and was DUI. What a joke!
“On the same day, he was charged with DUI Davidson County records additionally show that Guizar Lozano was charged with two counts of felony reckless endangerment, but those charges were later dropped.”
Illegal immigrant privilege. Especially in Nashville.