Neighbors Form Human Chain To Shield Father And Son From ICE

Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), the agency charged with keeping illegals out of the country, has attracted considerable backlash for heavy-handed tactics in detaining immigrants — including separating parents from children.

An incident earlier this week took place in Nashville, Tennessee — far from the Mexican border where much of ICE's enforcement work takes place.

ICE agents arrived at a home in suburban Nashville — and it was all captured on video.

The 32-minute video starts off with neighbors arriving at a commotion at a nearby house.

While the specifics weren't immediately apparent, the person behind the camera quickly moved in for a closer look.

You can see the van on the right side of this image. ICE agents reportedly came to carry out an arrest on one of the residents of the house, who was at home with his 12-year-old son.

Because ICE agents reportedly came with a search warrant that hadn't been signed by a judge, they weren't in a position to execute the warrant.

The neighbors at the scene decided not to allow ICE to detain anybody.

Neighbor Steve Farley, who lives nearby, said,

"We just wrapped our arms around and formed a chain and dared someone to break through it." It was lengthy, and at times tense, standoff.

Lawyer Daniel Yoon said agents wrote the warrant themselves, adding,

"There’s no judicial review, no magistrate review, no probable cause. It doesn’t give them the authority to break down a door like you would with a normal warrant."

Although ICE agents and police were at the scene, the resolve of the neighbors did not weaken.

It was ultimately peaceful, and a sign of what a community is willing to do to stand up for one of their own.

Nashville mayor David Briley discussed the incident on Facebook, essentially saying that Nashville police were just there to keep the peace — effectively washing his hands of ICE agents who don't fall under his purview.

There's been lots of news about parents separated from children and detained in inhumane camps, but this is an interesting side to the immigration issue.

Let us know what you think in the comments.