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In early May, ICE arrested 196 people in Nashville where they stopped almost 600 people in areas of Nashville with heavy Latino populations.

Learn More About the Politicization of Encampment Closures

Against the outcry of neighborhoods and businesses, cities like Nashville have been desperate to find quick and highly publicized solutions to shut down encampments and reduce homelessness. This allows politicians to look like they are doing something — or at least that has been their theory. By now, we know that focusing solely on large encampment closures at the cost of actually building an effective system that helps people access permanent housing within 90 to 120 days is not working. Let me state that Nashville is not the only city jumping on the bandwagon of politicizing the closure of large encampments. The goal is apparent.