ICE Planning To Let Detained Illegal Immigrants Free In Tennessee

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to release detained illegal immigrants into Tennessee while they await court proceedings, according to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R).

Lee’s office was notified on Monday of “the Biden administration’s intent to transport multiple busloads of single adult detainees from ICE facilities in New Orleans into Tennessee, beginning as soon as this week,” according to a press release.

“We’ve been informed by ICE that they plan to release single adult detainees into Tennessee while they await court proceedings,” the Tennessee governor said. “This is irresponsible and a threat to the safety of Tennesseans. Furthermore, we already have a national security crisis at our border, and the Biden administration’s attempt to revoke Title 42 will only incentivize more illegal crossings. It’s not compassionate to perpetuate a problem that leads to more exploitation and trafficking. 7,000 people unlawfully enter our country every day.”

“This crisis is too big to ignore, and the only way to stop it is to secure the border,” he added. “Placing the burden on states is not a solution, and we should not bear the brunt of the federal government’s failures. We are demanding the Biden administration reverse their plan for detainee relocation. In the meantime, we’re also discussing options with the Tennessee Attorney General and our federal delegation.”

The news comes amid a record-breaking illegal immigration crisis at the U.S. border with Mexico. Border officials encountered a record 2,378,944 migrants attempting to illegally cross the southern border in fiscal year 2022, according to data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP). That figure dwarfed the previous record of 1,734,686 migrant encounters that was set in 2021 – Biden’s first year in office.