Alejandro Ramirez

4 days ago | nashvillescene.com | Alejandro Ramirez |Alejandro Ramírez

On Friday, a team of lawyers from legal and immigrant advocacy groups filed a lawsuit challenging a new Tennessee law that criminalizes providing “harbor” to undocumented immigrants. The lawsuit argues that immigration enforcement is a power reserved for the federal government, not the states, and that the broad language of the law would only sow confusion and fear about what activities do or do not break the law.

2 weeks ago | medium.com | Alejandro Ramirez |Alejandro Ramírez

I remember that day perfectly. A group of conservative politicians had arrived in Mexico promoting the Madrid Charter, a document seeking an alliance with the local conservative party, the PAN. The charter was presented as a regional treaty to promote democracy and free markets. A few days later, I opened social media and found a clip of Congressman Jorge Triana debating with a legislator from Morena. She accused his party of being full of classists, racists, xenophobes—you name it.

1 month ago | nashvillescene.com | Alejandro Ramirez |Alejandro Ramírez

Nashville immigrants were terrified to leave home during the weeklong joint operation carried out by federal immigration enforcement and Tennessee state troopers in early May. ICE and the Tennessee Highway Patrol detained almost 200 drivers, most of whom had no criminal history. Even Broadway bars were affected — including those owned by staunch conservative Steve Smith — as employees stayed in place to avoid a raid.

1 month ago | nashvillescene.com | Alejandro Ramirez |Alejandro Ramírez

In an Instagram post Friday afternoon, the owners of Subculture Urban Cuisine and Cafe announced that the Nolensville Pike restaurant will close at the end of the month. Over the course of nine years, the restaurant earned many accolades — including the Scene’s own Best of Nashville awards — for its churrasco sandwich and vegetarian hot chicken substitute. The last week of operation lasts from Tuesday, May 27, to Saturday, May 31, according to the Instagram caption.

Mar 6, 2025 | nashvillescene.com | Alejandro Ramirez |Alejandro Ramírez

Sometimes great ideas are born from a desire to prove someone else wrong. That’s a cheeky and reductive — but not not accurate — way to describe how Karina Daza formed Musicana, a collective of Latin American musicians in Nashville. Daza says she was inspired to form Musicana in 2023 after struggling to book gigs with venues in town, even places she had already played at as an opener, and was told each time that Latin music just doesn’t sell. “It lit a fire in me,” says Daza.