Federal agents descended on a Latin American bar and seafood restaurant in Memphis’s Berclair neighborhood around 1 a.m. Sunday, and by the time the sun came up, an immigrant advocacy group was calling it the largest immigration raid in the city’s history. Vecindarios 901 said more than 100 people inside El Corralón were detained and transported from the scene, though Memphis police say they made no arrests or detentions of their own.
El Corralón, also known as OK Corral Memphis or Marisquería El Corral, sits at 3870 Macon Road in Berclair, a neighborhood home to one of the largest Hispanic populations in Shelby County, according to Local Memphis. The venue operates as a club, bar and restaurant, and it drew a heavy federal presence overnight into Sunday morning. As reported by WREG, Vecindarios 901 said agents arrived at the business with a search warrant connected to an investigation involving gambling machines and alleged drug activity.
Memphis police were called to Macon Street near Maria Avenue around 3:15 a.m. Sunday after a crowd began gathering near the federal operation, per the same WREG report. Officers established a perimeter on the south side of Macon Street and directed people to stay out of the roadway to maintain traffic flow and public safety, later clearing the scene once the operation wound down. The department said it was not involved in planning or executing the federal operation and referred additional questions to the federal agencies involved.
Advocates Allege Interference With Bystanders Filming the Scene
Vecindarios 901 alleged that law enforcement officers attempted to interfere with people recording the operation and intimidated community members gathered near the scene, the group told WREG. The organization said it opposed the search and detention of more than 100 friends and family members without due process, while also stating it does not support businesses promoting criminal activities. Witness accounts reported separately by Memphis Noticias put the number detained between 100 and 110, including roughly 15 female employees, and described federal authorities deploying two buses and two vans to transport people from the scene…