A major American tourist destination was brought to a virtual standstill last weekend when restaurants and bars at Nashville sent employees home — and others refused to show up — after a series of immigration enforcement raids forced many establishments to shut down their kitchens. 

The raids, which led at least one restaurant owned by prominent supporters of President Trump to shut down its kitchen on Saturday, sparked anger among local officials, who say they had a “harmful impact” on the city’s vital tourism industry and instilled fear in the community. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials ridiculed local leaders, claiming the operations led to the arrest of “196 criminal aliens” around the city who posed a “threat to the safety and security of Tennessee residents.”

Three restaurants owned by a conservative restaurateur, Steve Smith, shut down their kitchens, according to the Nashville Scene, including The Diner and Honky Tonk Central. Another restaurant, co-owned by Mr. Smith and musician Robert “Kid Rock” Ritchie — Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse — also shuttered its kitchen because of the raids.

Mr. Smith, described as a supporter of Mr. Trump, did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment. One employee of a restaurant that closed its kitchen told the Nashville Scene, “We were already understaffed because of the ICE raids throughout the weekend.”

“Then, around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, our manager came back and told anyone without legal status to go home. Events at the Ryman, Ascend, the Savannah Bananas’ baseball game all let out, and it was crazy busy. But there was no one in the kitchen to cook the food,” the employee added.

Nashville, a popular destination for music lovers and bachelorette parties, has seen tourism soar in recent years. In 2023, the city saw a record 16.8 million tourists, and while the numbers for 2024 have yet to be tabulated, forecasts predicted 2024 would see more than 17 million tourists. All those visitors combined were expected to spend more than $10 billion during their time in the city.

A local television station, WZTV, also reports that the ICE operation led to restaurants and bars shutting down over the weekend. Reporters from the station said they visited several bars in the heart of the city and did not see ICE agents, but said “the widespread concern was undeniable.”

Patrons who had ordered drinks were informed that the restaurant was closed, one manager told the outlet.

The mayor of Nashville, Freddie O’Connell, criticized the operation, saying, “I wanna be clear. We did not request this approach to safety. We do not support it.”

“It’s important for us to get this right, and it’s very frustrating to see a failure in the process,” he said. 

The Department of Homeland Security shrugged off the concerns of local officials. A spokeswoman for the department, Tricia McLaughlin, said in a statement, “You would think all public officials would unite around DHS bringing violent criminal illegal aliens to justice and removing them from American communities. However, pro-open borders politicians — like Mayor O’Connell — would rather protect illegal aliens than American citizens.”

ICE released a list of “notable” arrests from the operation, saying it detained individuals with domestic assault, drug possession, and rape convictions. 

The Metro Council Immigrant Caucus at Nashville said in a statement that it “condemns the tactics, scope, and narrative” of the statement released by DHS. 

“While we all share a commitment to public safety, true safety is never achieved through fear-based enforcement that harms entire communities under false pretenses,” the immigrant caucus said. “The language and framing in the DHS announcement dangerously stigmatize entire immigrant communities in Nashville and misrepresents the reality of what has transpired.”

The statement also criticized what it said is the “broader, harmful impact” of the ICE raids and cooperation between local law enforcement officials and immigration officials. The caucus called for leaders at Nashville and Tennessee to “end local partnerships that enable fear.”

The Nashville GOP posted on X that it would share the “full details” of the ICE operation and “the mayor’s disgusting response” Thursday afternoon.