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Article by Olivia Lupia, Tennessee Conservative News –
The Nashville airport’s use of automated license plate readers (ALPRS) has gone largely unnoticed, but as new reporting suggests U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has accessed the camera data hundreds of times for immigration enforcement efforts, another layer of complexity is added to the ongoing debates about the use of AI-driven surveillance technologies across the state.
There are at least 10 of the Flock cameras in use at the Nashville airport (BNA) since 2024, operated by BNA’s own police department which is independent from the Metro Nashville Police Department.
The camera data is accessible to the Metro Nashville Airport Authority’s police department and thousands of other law enforcement agencies around the country that are part of the Flock network.
A new report from WKRN has found that one of those outside agencies accessing the camera data is ICE, which has made several hundred requests for information.
The BNA license plate readers were reportedly accessed 416 times on behalf of ICE, and the database was searched approximately 3,591 times for “immigration-related” reasons through July 7 of this year.
But the report notes that the actual number of searches by federal immigration authorities may be much larger or smaller as Flock’s software allows authorities to search on the agency’s behalf without disclosure for whom the search is being conducted.
A statement from a BNA representative clarified, “The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) utilizes the FLOCK system as a safety and protection measure for our 27 million passengers. It is important to note that the FLOCK system is used by numerous law enforcement agencies nationwide. The MNAA Department of Public Safety does not conduct specific immigration, customs enforcement (ICE) searches on their behalf; rather, the standard database is simply accessible to organizations with FLOCK system access. These agencies throughout the country are conducting a search with key terms such as ‘immigration or immigration related activity’ and all external agency searches are recorded in our MNAA audit log. Please contact the respective agencies for greater details.”
And ICE isn’t the only outside agency using the BNA Flock system to help with potential immigration-related cases. The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office made two “immigration-related” searches in March related to a traffic stop.
“This query concerned a traffic stop where a warning citation was issued, and it related directly to that stop. The query supported a potential narcotics investigation. There was no ICE involvement,” said Wilson County Maj. Robert Stafford.
When asked for further details by the media, an ICE representative sent a statement reading, “For operational security and the safety of our officers, DHS will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations, strategy, tactics, capabilities, or methods.”
Sources:
WKRN.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
