Among the thousands of immigrants planned to be released were those with criminal convictions, including for serious crimes, documents show.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti says newly obtained documents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reveal that the agency abandoned plans to release detained migrants, including those with criminal convictions, into the state after pushback from lawmakers and litigation filed by the state.
The 384 pages of documents, released by the state on Wednesday, show that ICE was in the planning stages of releasing detainees from its Louisiana facilities into Tennessee.
Among the detainees were more than 30 individuals with serious criminal convictions, including crimes ranging from homicide and sexual assault to armed robbery and drug trafficking, according to the press release and documents reviewed by The Epoch Times.
Although the release plan was not followed through, the AG said in an Oct. 23 statement that the records show that over 7,000 detainees—including individuals with violent criminal records—were released directly from nearby Louisiana facilities during that time.
“The federal government’s single most important job is to keep dangerous people out of our country, and instead, it has let killers and rapists illegally cross our border and walk free on our streets,” Skrmetti said in a press release. “While the urgent work to fix our broken immigration system continues in Washington, my Office will keep fighting for transparency and accountability.”
Coordination With Local Groups
According to the documents, ICE had coordinated with local immigration rights groups and officials in Nashville to arrange the release of these detained migrants.
Specifically, ICE was working with the Tennessee Immigration and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), an immigration advocacy group, to assist with hotel accommodations and onward movement of immigrants.
TIRRC, at the time, responded to reports in a social media post that the Department of Homeland Security had listened to “what local organizations and communities have been demanding.”
“DHS took steps to provide more transparency and better coordination to get folks home for the holidays,” the organization wrote on Twitter at the time. “We cannot allow for disinformation, fear, and partisanship to dictate how we treat other human beings. Shame on Gov. Bill Lee’s office for not showing Tennessee’s values of family, integrity, and welcoming others.”
By Chase Smith
