On April 7, 2017, Saudi national Abdullah Mansour Abriq, a former student at Tennessee State University, sued Metro Nashville, Davidson County and their sheriff Daron Hall alleging that being held in the Davidson County jail on a detainer request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), violates his constitutional rights and that the sheriff is prohibited from cooperating with ICE. The lawsuit, filed in federal court with Abriq as the lead plaintiff, is a class action on behalf of “hundred and likely thousands of immigrants” being held because of ICE detainer requests, and will be heard by Obama nominated Chief Judge Waverly Crenshaw whose lifetime appointment was supported by Tennessee Senators Alexander and Corker. Abriq is identified in the complaint as a “foreign national who immigrated to the United States under an F-1 student visa.” The F-1 visa is a type of non-immigrant visa that allows a person to be educated in the U.S. if they meet certain conditions. Typically, absent an extension, the student must leave the country once the term or conditions of the visa expire. Visa overstayers are considered unlawfully present in the U.S. and can be deported. In 2016, a bill endorsed by the Haslam administration…
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