Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed to The Tennessee Star on Monday night that it is aware of the planned “Rapid Response Protest” to support Kilmar Abrego Garcia as he is arraigned on Friday for his alleged nine-year career smuggling illegal immigrants throughout the country.
As the protest is being organized by four activist groups primarily based outside of Metro Nashville, and has the support of the Williamson County and Blount County Democratic Parties, The Star asked MNPD what steps police were taking to prepare for the protest, as well as whether the department is anticipating the possibility for the protest to escalate into a riot, as seen in Los Angeles, California, in response to immigration enforcement.
In response, MNPD Public Affairs Director Don Aaron told The Star, “The MNPD supports the ability of persons to engage in peaceful demonstrations and monitors such demonstrations to help ensure safety.”
The U.S. Marshals Service, which provides security for the Fred D. Thompson courthouse where the protest is planned to occur, told The Star on Tuesday that it was unable to offer details about its security plans for Friday due to safety concerns.
U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05), who is leading a congressional probe investigating Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s response to a recent federal immigration enforcement operation that netted nearly 200 illegal immigrants, called the protest a “coordinated insurrection” in a Monday post to the social media platform X.
“A coordinated insurrection is being planned this Friday in Nashville—just one day after the deadline I gave Freddie to turn over documents for our congressional investigation,” said Ogles. “If Freddie O’Connell had an ounce of respect for our State left, he would use every resource to defend DHS and protect his police officers. Stay tuned.”
Deported to his home country of El Salvador by the Trump administration in March, Abrego Garcia was returned to the United States last week, when the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed an indictment accusing the foreign citizen of smuggling illegal immigrants throughout the country over a nine-year career.
The Star was the first to report that Abrego Garcia was pulled over in November 2022 after a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper observed him speeding and failing to maintain his lane. The Star was also the first to report that Abrego Garcia was released at the instruction of the “Biden-era FBI,” and that Abrego Garcia was suspected of human trafficking during the stop.
Among his more than 100 smuggling runs, Abrego Garcia is accused within the indictment of smuggling women, children, and gang members, as well as drugs and weapons.
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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 “Kilmar Abrego Garcia Protest” by Victoria Pickering. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
