USA/ICE—
By Danielle Smith, producer, Tennessee News Service, a bureau of Public News Service.
Shootings involving federal immigration officers are drawing urgent warnings from human rights leaders. They say fatal encounters with those federal agents are rising across the U.S.
Human Rights Watch reports deaths in ICE custody have more than doubled since early 2025, with 52 cases documented during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Tennessee Deaths
Selah Torralba, culture manager with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, cited two recent deadly incidents involving the Memphis Safe Task Force: the shootings of Alfonso Ivy and Tyrin Johnson. Torralba argued both deaths were preventable and that aggressive federal enforcement is putting immigrants and all communities at risk.
“There are several people in addition to Tyrin and Alfonso who have been killed by the Memphis Safety Task Force, and one of those individuals’ reports are coming out now that they were having a mental health crisis and needing care. In an emergency, they lost their life,” Torralba said.
The Memphis task force is a federal-state partnership that includes the Department of Homeland Security. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says Ivy was shot after allegedly pointing a gun at agents, and Johnson was killed after reportedly firing shots downtown.
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee has sent a letter to the DHS secretary, demanding answers about enforcement policies and the expansion of federalized operations.
Torralba pointed out that these fatal incidents overshadow the painstaking effort to become a naturalized citizen, noting it took nearly a decade for her parents. Torralba said what’s happening now, especially in Memphis, goes beyond immigration status.
Instead, Torralba argued ICE and the Memphis Safe Task Force are openly engaging in racial profiling within communities, including people who simply witness enforcement actions.
“This force is dangerous to our communities who are just trying to work, take their kids to school, put food on the table, and live good lives,” Torralba said.
Torralba cited fatal shootings in Texas and Maine this summer, involving immigration officers, as other concerning examples.
Torralba suggests visiting the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition website, which has printable resources and guides in multiple languages on what to do if an agent approaches you.
She stresses people must know and exercise their rights, especially Fifth Amendment protections. Also, Torralba says it’s important to have a plan with loved ones for who to call and what steps to take in the event of a confrontation with ICE.
