'We will return to Mexico without anything': Franklin woman says she's considering self-deportation after ICE raids

The woman said she’s been trying to obtain legal status for the last two decades.

By Braden Ross
Published: Jul. 8, 2025 at 11:23 PM CDT|Updated: 16 hours ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - An undocumented woman in Franklin says she’s considering moving back to Mexico after more than 25 years of living in the United States because of recent immigration enforcement operations in Nashville.

The woman requested that WSMV change her name and hide her face to protect her identity. In this article, she is referred to as Carmen.

“Before May, I was feeling really safe here in this country,” Carmen said. “Now, I feel unsafe.”

In May, almost 200 people were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a joint operation with the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP). Carmen says since then, she’s been living in fear.

“We are not having a life here,” said Carmen. “We are always in our house without getting outside. Imagine the people who have babies, the fear that they feel because they do not know they are going to come back to their home.”

More:
https://www.wvlt.tv/2025/07/09/we-will-return-mexico-without-anything-franklin-woman-says-shes-considering-self-deportation-after-ice-raids/