Setting the record straight.
Over the past couple of weeks, ICE and the Tennessee Highway Patrol have been working together on operations to detain illegal immigrants here in Nashville, something that has outraged Mayor Freddie O’Connell despite the Department of Homeland Security sharing profiles of several immigrants with lengthy and violent criminal records who have been captured during the raids:
According to a report from Fox 17 Nashville, several restaurants on Broadway in downtown Nashville were forced to either close early or shut down their kitchens recenetly after reports of ICE raids on Broadway caused employees to walk out or not show up for work.
One manager of an unnamed Broadway restaurant said their kitchen staff “split” after hearing rumors of ICE conducting operations on Broadway:
“It’s just creating this general sense of fear all the time. There were rumors flying around about ICE being on Lower Broadway. It was credible enough that we had to close the restaurant because back-of-house staff had to leave. Everyone split.”
And another restaurant manager said that more than half their staff didn’t show up:
“More than half of our restaurant staff is not attending right now, so we’re currently closed for business.”
The original report didn’t name the restaurants that were affected, but an article from the Nashville Scene claimed that those bars included three businesses owned by outspoken conservative Broadway bar magnate Steve Smith.
The Diner, Honky Tonk Central and Kid Rock’s bar all reportedly closed their kitchens after rumors of ICE raids, with one employee reporting that their manager instructed anyone “without legal status” to leave so that they didn’t risk getting detained:
“We were already understaffed because of the ICE raids throughout the weekend. Then, around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, our manager came back and told anyone without legal status to go home. Events at the Ryman, Ascend, the Savannah Bananas’ baseball game all let out, and it was crazy busy. But there was no one in the kitchen to cook the food.”
Of course after it was reported that Kid Rock’s bar closed, many on the left used it as an opportunity to dunk on the outspoken conservative and supporter of Donald Trump for allegedly hiring illegal immigrants to work at his own bar, with many celebrating that Trump’s policies were now harming his own supporters.
And today, Kid Rock responded to the headlines of ICE raids at his bar – and as expected, he has no problem with them, pointing out that he’s not involved with the day-to-day operations and that he supports deporting illegal immigrants wherever they may be:
“Clearly I do not have anything to do with day to day operations at my Honky Tonk – but it’s good click bait, I get it.
That being said I 100% support getting illegal criminals out of our country no matter where they are. I also like President Trump want to speed up the process of getting GREAT immigrants into our country – LEGALLY! It’s that simple folks.
But the below is not a juicy enough headline to get clicks and views.. in this day and age the truth often is not.”
It’s not clear whether Smith, who along with Honky Tonk Central, The Diner and Kid Rock’s also owns the iconic Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and Rippy’s Honky Tonk on lower Broadway, had any knowledge that management was sending employees home amid reports of ICE raids or who made the decision.
But what is clear is that Kid Rock doesn’t see a problem with even his own bar being held accountable if they are, in fact, hiring illegal immigrants.
