Memphis Illegal Gambling Raid Leads to 121 ICE Arrests

An investigation into suspected illegal gambling at a Memphis nightclub ended in a massive immigration raid that saw 121 people detained by federal authorities, according to new court filings.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) descended on El Corralón in the city’s Berclair neighborhood at around 1 a.m. August 30, as state investigators executed search warrants related to illegal gambling and drugs.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) later confirmed its agents seized narcotics and “evidence of illegal gambling” from the nightclub, although it declined to elaborate because the investigation remains ongoing.

Witnesses told The New York Times that some agents headed directly for gambling machines positioned along a wall of the club as others shut off the music and gathered patrons on the dance floor.

Those unable to establish legal immigration status were restrained and taken to ICE detention facilities.

Gambling Machines, Cash Targeted

In May, TBI sought ICE’s assistance identifying Marco Sabillon-Urbina, a Honduran national who ran El Corralón with his wife and whom investigators suspected of criminal activity at the property, according to federal court records reviewed by the Times.

On August 26, a Shelby County judge approved a TBI search warrant for the nightclub as part of an illegal gambling investigation.

The warrant authorized investigators to search for gambling machines, money believed to be connected to gambling, and related records and documents. A second warrant concerned suspected drug activity.

Sabillon-Urbina was among those detained during the raid. He previously held Temporary Protected Status but allowed it to lapse in 2020. He was deported following a federal criminal case involving drugs and firearms and was deported again after subsequently returning to the US, according to federal records reviewed by the Times.

Despite TBI’s confirmation that evidence of illegal gambling was recovered, authorities have not publicly announced any gambling-related charges stemming from the operation. The criminal investigation remains active.

Scale of ICE Arrests Questioned

The Department of Homeland Security described the raid, dubbed “Operation Corral Light,” as a multiagency targeted enforcement operation and said ICE arrested 121 undocumented immigrants.

DHS highlighted five detainees who had previous arrests or convictions involving offenses including larceny, cocaine possession, aggravated assault, domestic violence, and child endangerment.

The raid has drawn criticism from civil liberties and immigrant rights groups.

Speaking to The Institute for Public Service Reporting Memphis, Lucas Cameron-Vaughn of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee questioned whether search warrants targeting gambling and drugs provided legal authority for ICE to detain and question everyone inside about their immigration status.