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Tennessee Judge Rules Sheriff Can Withhold IDs of Those Detained by ICE in McMinnville

May 27, 2026·Location: McMinnville, TN

Tennessee Judge Rules Sheriff Can Withhold IDs of Those Detained by ICE in McMinnville
Photo via WSMV

ICE agents in unmarked gray and blue SUVs conducted a roundup operation in McMinnville, Tennessee on May 27, 2026, detaining multiple people. Initial reports indicated at least 6 people were taken into custody, with subsequent reports showing 11 people detained and one released. Video footage showed agents exiting unmarked vehicles, handcuffing individuals, and approaching workers outside a Lowe's store, and those taken into custody were transported to Putnam County Jail and held overnight before potential transfer to other facilities. On June 29, 2026, a Cookeville chancellor ruled that Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris can withhold jail records identifying people held there on federal immigration charges, citing a 2002 federal regulation as an exception to the Tennessee Public Records Act. The ruling dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition and a University of Tennessee sociology professor who had sought intake records identifying those detained.

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