Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced that a lawsuit filed by his office forced U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reveal previously undisclosed documents exposing the federal agency's plan to release thousands of detained migrants, including convicted criminals, into the state. The documents, obtained after ICE failed to comply with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, shed light on a coordinated effort between ICE, local immigration-rights groups, and Nashville officials to facilitate these releases.
According to Skrmetti, the plan, which originated in 2022, involved the release of potentially thousands of single adult detainees from Louisiana detention facilities into Tennessee before the anticipated termination of the federal government's Title 42 public health order. Among those slated for release were individuals with criminal records, including convictions for violent crimes such as murder, sexual assault, armed robbery, and kidnapping. ICE's plan, however, was ultimately thwarted due to strong opposition from Tennessee state officials, including Republican Governor Bill Lee, and the intervention of the state's U.S. senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty.
"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 statement. The lawsuit, Skrmetti noted, uncovered hundreds of pages of documents revealing the scope of ICE's since-abandoned plan and highlighted the ongoing challenges posed by the federal immigration system.
While ICE did abandon its initial plan to release detainees directly into Tennessee, the agency still managed to release over 7,000 detainees from its Louisiana facilities during that time. More than 30 of these detainees were classified as high-security threats, with many having extensive criminal records. The records show that detainees convicted of crimes ranging from homicide to drug trafficking were among those freed into communities across the state.
The discovery of these plans has sparked outrage in Tennessee, where state leaders have consistently voiced concerns over the federal government's handling of immigration enforcement. Skrmetti emphasized that the lawsuit is part of a broader effort to hold the federal government accountable for its immigration policies. "While the urgent work to fix our broken immigration system continues in Washington, my office will keep fighting for transparency and accountability," he said.
This latest revelation comes as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced that more than 100 migrants with possible ties to a violent Venezuelan gang are being monitored, with some placed on an FBI watchlist. However, officials have cautioned that not all flagged individuals are confirmed gang members and could include relatives, victims, or witnesses to criminal activity.
The 2022 plan to release migrants into Tennessee gained attention after the governor's office became aware of ICE's coordination with local officials and nonprofit organizations. ICE reportedly sought to hold a meeting in December 2022 with state and local officials to discuss the mass release of detainees, but state pushback ultimately derailed the effort. Despite this victory, Skrmetti warned that the larger issue remains unresolved, as Tennessee, along with other states, continues to grapple with the consequences of federal immigration policies.
In a telephone interview with The Center Square, Skrmetti acknowledged the limitations faced by states in addressing illegal immigration. "There's a lot of instances where the states sue the federal government and lose because it is ultimately the federal government's responsibility to handle our immigration laws," he said. He pointed to ongoing litigation in other states, such as Texas and Iowa, where legal challenges to state-level immigration enforcement laws are still being appealed after being struck down by federal courts.
Despite these challenges, Skrmetti remains committed to holding the federal government accountable for its immigration enforcement failures. "We have immigration laws that have allowed a lot of people to come here and integrate into society and become very successful," he said. "But when you have millions coming in over a couple of years, that puts tremendous strain on basic services like hospitals, law enforcement, and schools."
