There is no substantiated report that ICE raided Kid Rock’s Nashville bar. A Nashville Scene report said employees at the venue and two other restaurants were sent home during a wider Nashville-area immigration enforcement operation on May 10, 2025. Kid Rock later called coverage of the story “good clickbait,” said he had no day-to-day role at the bar, and stated his views on immigration. Separately, The Tennessean reported that ICE denied conducting enforcement operations on Broadway.
What was reported at Kid Rock’s bar?
In a May 14, 2025 report, Nashville Scene journalist Eli Motycka wrote that managers at The Diner, Honky Tonk Central, and Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk & Rock ’n’ Roll Steakhouse told employees without legal status to leave during a busy Saturday shift on May 10, to avoid possible detention. The report cited an anonymous employee who said the restaurant was already understaffed and that there was no one in the kitchen to cook during a rush. Nashville Scene’s account is a reported employee account, not an official finding about who made the staffing decision.
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The Scene placed the reported departures amid wider immigration enforcement activity around Nashville. It did not establish that ICE arrested employees at Kid Rock’s venue, entered the bar, or that Kid Rock personally ordered anyone to leave.
What did Kid Rock say about it?
On May 19, 2025, Kid Rock posted a response on X, quoted by Deadline Detroit: “Clearly I do not have anything to do with day-to-day operations at my Honky Tonk — but it’s good clickbait, I get it,”
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He also wrote: “That being said, I 100% support getting illegal criminals out of our country, no matter where they are.” He added that he wanted to “speed up the process of getting GREAT immigrants into our country — LEGALLY!”
His post gives his characterization of the coverage and his stated immigration position. It does not resolve who directed the reported staffing change or independently verify the employee’s account.
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Did ICE conduct raids on Broadway?
Not according to the ICE denial reported the following day by The Tennessean. The outlet quoted ICE Media Operations Unit Chief Southern Lindsay Williams saying, “There have not been any ICE enforcement operation on Broadway or in that area,” and reported that Broadway business owners disputed claims of raids there. The Tennessean’s report narrows what can be claimed about Broadway specifically; it does not negate the separate report that employees were sent home or the wider Nashville-area operation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What do the arrest figures refer to?
Nashville Scene’s May 13 report summarized a Department of Homeland Security release that said 196 people were arrested in the local operation. In that agency accounting, 95 had some criminal history and 101 had none. These are figures for the wider Nashville-area operation as attributed to DHS by the Scene—not arrests at Kid Rock’s bar. The Scene also quoted DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin describing the operation as “successful” and saying it had removed “gang members, sex offenders, and other violent criminals” from Nashville’s streets. The Scene’s report on the operation provides that agency attribution.
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How to read the story without conflating its claims
- Reported staff action: Nashville Scene cited an anonymous employee describing managers sending employees without legal status home at three restaurants on May 10.
- Kid Rock’s response: On May 19, he said he was not involved in day-to-day operations, called the coverage clickbait, and expressed support for deportations and faster legal immigration.
- Broadway denial: The Tennessean reported that ICE denied enforcement activity on Broadway or in that area.
- Arrest count: The figure of 196, including the reported breakdown of 95 and 101, concerned the wider local operation according to DHS as summarized by Nashville Scene.
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