"No estamos todos aquí." Charlotte FC and Nashville SC Respond to ICE Enforcement Actions and Supporters Group Protests
The world's sport responds to hundreds of immigration-related traffic stops in Nashville, with the fallout spreading to supporters groups across MLS.
Last Friday, prior to a scheduled MLS match between Nashville SC and Charlotte FC at GEODIS Park in Tennessee, a Nashville SC Latin American Barra (or supporters group) announced they were cancelling their regular festivities.
The group, La Brigada De Oro, posted on Twitter/X that “At this moment, it doesn't feel prudent to celebrate, cheer and party while so many families within our community are being separated and destroyed.”
La Brigada’s also read, in part, “In solidarity with the injustices that we are experiencing right at this moment within our Latino/Hispanic community [that] has been so deeply affected [we] have decided to cancel this Saturday’s pregame tailgate.”
The statement was in response to increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests in Nashville and Tennessee. Soccer Sheet has learned at least one member of La Brigada was detained in these enforcement actions.
"In the past week, our community has been torn apart by stories of our people being taken away without regard to their rights or due process. This is a scary time, and not just for those being stopped.” - La Brigada De Oro
In a press release, ICE characterized the arrests as “a weeklong targeted enforcement operation, which resulted in the arrest of 196 criminal illegal aliens, some with significant criminal histories and outstanding final orders of removal,” in coordination with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) components, The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), the state police of Tennessee.
The supporter group statement was originally covered by Soccer Sheet and Nashville-based SixOneFive Soccer, which reported that THP "in conjunction with ICE “had conducted 468 traffic stops, netting 94 detentions for immigration reasons.”
ICE replied to our requests for comment by directing us back to the original press release on the Nashville operations, and the following quote:
“This enforcement effort underscores ICE’s unwavering commitment to public safety and the rule of law. Our officers are focused on identifying and removing individuals who pose a threat to the safety and security of Tennessee residents,” said acting ERO New Orleans Field Office Director Brian Acuna.
Supporters Group Leaders Describe the Impact
“The news of the chaos and immigration raids in Nashville spread quickly and while it happened there, we felt the ripple effects deeply here in Charlotte,” said Jennifer Trujillo, a member of the Carolina Hooliganz supporters group. “Fear spreads quickly in immigrant communities, especially when your future is uncertain.”
While La Brigada was not visibly present at the match, they continued to hang their banner as other members of Nashville’s supporters section displayed the message “We are not all here” in both English and Spanish (No estamos todos aquí).
SixOneFive Soccer spoke to a representative of the supporters group for their story:
"It's been destroying families, destroying friendships, destroying livelihoods in many aspects," Abel Acosta, one of the founders of La Brigada, tells SixOneFive Soccer via phone. "People have not gone to work this whole week. There's business suffering within our community because of it. People are afraid to go out, because we know that we are being targeted, the Latino community is being targeted. And they are searching, they're looking, they're patrolling where the Latino communities are based the most here in Nashville."
Acosta reiterated to NewsChannel5 Nashville that the fears were despite the legal immigration status of La Brigada’s membership:
“Going to the stadium or coming to the stadium, our people are being targeted more than anything," [Acosta] explained. “Our decision to pause was not because La Brigada, our members, are illegal...it’s because, again, what’s happening in our community."
When Soccer Sheet asked Charlotte FC captain Ashley Westwood about the banners after the match, he told us that he had not noticed them over the course of the match.
The next week, when Soccer Sheet asked Charlotte FC head coach Dean Smith about the ICE enforcement actions, he told us, knowingly, that he had to be “apolitical” with the “political question” because he’s in the United States on a visa, but that he had seen the banners at the match.
“Obviously we care about the welfare of all our supporters, and we hope they’re all good,” said Smith.
After the match, La Brigada reported receiving significant support from the global soccer community as the story made its way to the New York Times and across the world, and issued a new statement:
For additional context, Soccer Sheet spoke to Clay Trainum, host of the Pharmaceutical Soccer podcast, and a member of SixOneFive Soccer. He is also a longtime leader in Nashville SC supporters groups, including as a former Vice President of the Roadies supporters group, founder of the Backline Supporters Collective, and as a former executive board member for the Nashville Soccer Supporters Trust.
"I can't begin to imagine the fear that some of the members of La Brigada have felt over the past couple of weeks. As a proud resident of Antioch, I've seen the direct outcomes in person,” said Trainum. “It's been a detain first, ask questions later approach, seemingly designed explicitly to scare people. You may have a loved one go to the store, and you won't hear from them until three days later. For those that pay attention to the news, one's legal status may not actually matter. Plenty of people have been picked up wrongly.”
Trujillo, who herself is the child of immigrants, was devastated by the situation - especially since Nashville has become a key rivalry match for Charlotte FC.
“As passionate soccer fans, we live for match days and traveling to support our team. Nashville and Atlanta are two of the games we always look forward to. Nashville has always shown CLTFC supporters incredible love and welcomed us with open arms. That’s what made this situation even more heartbreaking.”
MLS Clubs Respond
Charlotte FC supporters from Hispanic and Latino supporters groups including Blue Furia and Carolina Hooliganz attended the Nashville match as well. Trujillo, however told us that some supporters skipped the match out of fear.
“After hearing what had happened, many Latino supporters of Charlotte FC, including several of our own Carolina Hooliganz members made the difficult, yet understandable, decision not to travel to Nashville out of fear,” said Trujillo. “This really goes to show the emotional weight and daily fear our community carries when it comes to immigration enforcement and the impact they have.”
Then, at Charlotte FC’s match in Orlando on Wednesday, May 14, at least one sign in the crowd showed solidarity with La Brigada.
With multiple immigration enforcement operations occurring in the Carolinas over the past week, Soccer Sheet reached out to Charlotte FC for comment. A spokesperson for the club said Charlotte FC was not aware of ICE or immigration enforcement at any events around Bank of America Stadium this year, including a sold-out Shakira concert this week.
The spokesperson went on to say that the safety of fans, families, players, and supporters groups is the top priority for the organization, and that stadium staff work with their security team and local law endorsement to create an environment that is safe for everyone.
Meanwhile, in response to a request for comment on the protests, Nashville Soccer Club told Soccer Sheet, “Since its inception, Nashville SC has provided and promoted a welcoming, inclusive, family-friendly environment at our stadium for Nashville, Middle Tennessee, and beyond, and we will continue to do so.”
Supporters are worried, however, that this is just the beginning, and all 30 MLS clubs will have to face the problem at some point.
"Nashville SC, which has its training facility in Antioch, boasts of multiple immigrant players and spent years courting these very fans, has been noticeably quiet publicly in its support of La Brigada, which we've found disheartening,” said Trainum. “Privately, it has been a bit of a different story, to be fair. That being said, I've been a fan of MLS for a very long time, and after decades of trying to court Latin support and use the popularity of the Mexican league to bolster MLS, I personally believe that it is high past time that the league go to bat for its supporters. What's happened in Nashville will surely be happening, if it hasn't already, in other MLS cities."
Many Charlotte FC supporters see the crisis as a moment to come together.
“Soccer has always been something that transcends borders, language, and background. It unites us, one passion, one sport, one love, one community,” said Trujillo. “Yet during this time, we’ve all felt a collective heartbreak, not just for La Brigada de Oro, but for our entire immigrant community. We absolutely stand with them and will continue to raise our voices in solidarity.”