U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is pursuing the custody of a Mexican national accused of entering the United States illegally through Texas in 2021 amidst the Biden administration’s policies and subsequently killing a Nashville restaurant owner.
After Ulises Raigoza-Martinez pled guilty and received a lengthy prison sentence on Tuesday, ICE stepped in with an immigration detainer. They have asked Tennessee officials to inform them prior to his release, enabling federal authorities to assume custody for deportation proceedings, as stated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
This tragic incident unfolded on June 19, 2024, in the parking lot of the Nashville eatery Smokin’ Thighs. Investigators allege that Raigoza-Martinez was in the process of stealing tools from the truck belonging to owner Matt Carney.
Matt Carney, the owner of Smokin’ Thighs in Nashville, succumbed to his injuries on July 4, 2024. Authorities report he was hit by a vehicle while confronting a suspect accused of theft from his pickup truck. (DHS)
According to authorities, Carney, aged 42, approached the alleged perpetrator, prompting Raigoza-Martinez to flee the scene in his vehicle. During the escape, he struck Carney, who briefly landed on the vehicle’s hood before being cast onto the pavement when Raigoza-Martinez sharply turned the car.
Carney suffered critical injuries and died at a Nashville hospital on July 4, 2024.
Police arrested Raigoza-Martinez in South Nashville on July 18, 2024. Two years later, on July 22, 2026, he pleaded guilty to murder, theft over $10,000, tampering with evidence and theft over $2,500, before being sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Ulises Raigoza-Martinez pleaded guilty to murder, theft over $10,000, tampering with evidence and theft over $2,500 in the death of Nashville restaurant owner Matt Carney. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. (DHS)
DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said Raigoza-Martinez “should NEVER have been in our country to commit this heinous murder.”
“We will work with our state and local partners in Tennessee to ensure that he is handed over to ICE custody once his sentence is complete, so that we can remove him from our country,” Bis said.
FILE – ICE is seeking custody of the suspect after he serves his prison sentence for the killing. (Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
If Tennessee officials honor the ICE detainer, federal immigration authorities will take custody of Raigoza-Martinez after he completes his prison sentence so he can be placed into removal proceedings and deported.