Hamblen County — Almost six weeks have passed since an immigration raid at a meat packing plant in Grainger County, and some families are still torn apart this Mother's Day.
On April 5, federal investigators raided Southeastern Provision in Bean Station. There ICE agents found 97 people who were subject to removal from the U.S. Of those, 54 wer put into detention, 32 were released from custody, 10 were arrested on federal criminal charges, and one was arrested on state charges.
As of last week three men federally charged are ready to plead guilty.
The owner of the plant is not charged and has declined to comment.
According to a spokesperson for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, more than 30 people are still detained in Louisiana. Of those, three are mothers. Additionally, one woman who is federally charged and detained is a mother.
In the days after the raid, Hamblen County Schools said about 550 students were absent.
"Everybody's still heartbroken," Veronica Galvan said.
Galvan is the director of religious education at St. Patrick's Church in Morristown, which has emerged as a gathering place for families affected by the raid.
Since the raid, Galvan and other community members like Ariadne Ceniceros have seen families get torn apart.
"It's hard to see little kids waiting for their mom to come home," Ceniceros said.
"At the beginning, I would tell these families, 'Everything is going to be ok. Everything is going to be ok,'" Galvan said. "But I didn't know if everything was going to be ok."
St. Patrick's Church held a Mother's Day ceremony last Thursday. Organizers set a place for Gov. Bill Haslam, but they said the governor did not respond to multiple invitations.
The governor has yet to take action on a bill that bans sanctuary cities in Tennessee.
Since the raid, some families have been reunited, and that's been an emotional experience.
"A family will come in and they're just smiling really big and we know the person standing beside them is a detainee that has been released," Galvan said.
Galvan added that although some detainees return home, their legal battle is far from over.
"But at least they're able to, if they have to say good bye, they're able to do it in the best form that they can," Galvan said.
Galvan said Hamblen County communities, as well as groups all over Tennessee, have stepped up to help. She believes the families will stay resilient.
"I tell them you have to continue to have hope," Galvan said. "We don't know what the outcome will be, but we have to stay strong, stay together and have hope."
Last week, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions came to Gatlinburg and said businesses have to follow the law and he wasn't, "shedding any tears" over the situation.