ICE raid at nightclub in Memphis results in more than 120 arrests

(NewsNation) — A major illegal gambling and drug investigation in Memphis recently ended with 121 immigration arrests, but authorities had a specific target. Court records show the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement back in May for help identifying Marco Sabillon-Urbina — a Honduran national suspected of criminal activity at the El Corralon nightclub. Sabillon-Urbina was among those arrested when ICE carried out 'Operation Corral Light' in Memphis on Aug. 30 and is now in U.S. Marshals custody. State and federal authorities executed warrants at El Corralon as part of an investigation into suspected illegal gambling and drug activity. TBI said agents seized narcotics and evidence of illegal gambling. The Department of Homeland Security says Sabillon-Urbina had previously been ordered removed from the U.S., was deported in 2024 and later re-entered the country illegally. A DHS spokesperson said Sabillon-Urbina had been convicted of three counts of firearm possession and charged with unlawful use of a controlled substance and a traffic offense. But ICE's involvement went well beyond one man, with agents arresting 121 people in all during the operation. DHS said those arrested were in the country illegally and highlighted several who had criminal histories. DHS has publicly identified five of those arrested with criminal histories, including larceny, drug possession, domestic violence, DWI, assault, child endangerment and prostitution. 'It's really interesting that the Department of Homeland Security has decided to release the names of five people who have criminal backgrounds, but no criminal charges for anything that actually happened that night,' said Maria Oceja, co-founder of Vecindarios 901, a Memphis rapid response network that monitors ICE activity. She called the agency's framing 'misleading.' Authorities have not said all 121 arrested were involved in the alleged gambling or drug activity. Memphis Mayor Paul Young says city police did not plan or carry out the operation and were only called in to help with traffic and crowd control. 'The people impacted by what happened this morning are our neighbors,' Young said. 'They are part of our Memphis community, and they deserve to be treated with dignity.' The criminal investigation into the nightclub is ongoing. Sabillon-Urbina was well known to federal authorities. He first came to the U.S. from Honduras in the 1990s and the New York Times reports that he was later granted Temporary Protected Status. But court records show that status eventually lapsed. Then, years later, he ended up in federal court in Tennessee in a case involving drugs and a firearm. He ultimately pleaded guilty to being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm — and as part of that case, agreed to be removed from the U.S. But he illegally reentered the country and became a target. 'Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences,' a DHS spokesperson said. 'Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.'