Photo: Eric EnglandAfter weeks of raids by federal immigration enforcement agencies that have swept up Iraqi nationals in Nashville and elsewhere around the country, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper sent a letter to Iraqi ambassador Fareed Yaseen Thursday with questions about how his Kurdish constituents would be treated if they are deported.

Nashville has the largest population of Kurds in the United States and, as Cooper notes in his letter, "several long-time Kurdish immigrants to the Nashville area have been detained by [Immigration Control and Enforcement] and transported to Jena, Louisiana — a 17-hour drive for their families — where they are awaiting further government action."

In Nashville, ICE agents have confronted Kurdish residents in uniforms that resemble those of local law enforcement — and even read "POLICE" on them — prompting Mayor Megan Barry to write the agency and urge them to stop undermining the Metro Nashville Police Department's relationship with the community.

In Cooper's letter, he seeks information from the Iraqi ambassador pertaining to the potential risks Nashville's Kurds could face if sent back to Iraq and how they will be dealt with if they are deported. You can read Cooper's letter here. The aforementioned questions are below: