NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been working with local organizations on possibly sending migrants on buses to Tennessee.
However, on Wednesday, ICE confirmed no migrants had been sent to Tennessee.
"These are folks who are coming here to seek safety, seek asylum, they have gone through the process, cleared to be released out of detention," Judith Clerjeune said.
At Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Clerjeune said they'd been speaking with ICE on migrants coming to Middle Tennessee. So they have been working to coordinate shelter, food, and transportation.
An ICE spokesperson told NewsChannel 5 that the agency makes custody determinations on a daily, case-by-case basis.
"Officers weigh a variety of factors when making general custody determinations, including criminal record, immigration history, community ties, flight risk, and whether the individual poses a potential threat to public safety," an ICE spokesperson told NewsChannel 5. "Noncitizens placed on ICE’s non-detained docket are enrolled in ICE’s Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program. ATD uses technology, case management, and other tools to manage noncitizens’ compliance with release conditions."
Clerjeune said it didn't matter where the people were coming from at this point.
"We should be treating folks with compassion and dignity," Clerjeune said.
Republican leaders found out and pushed back on the plan.
"What we have learned is that the New Orleans immigration office is going to send about 50 illegal immigrants who are adults, single adults, to Tennessee on a daily basis, or on a weekly basis," Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Brentwood said.
Senator Blackburn wants to know more about the migrants' background.
"Have they vetted these individuals? Do they have notices to appear for asylum hearings? Are any of them convicted criminals? Are any of them appearing on the terrorist watch list?" Blackburn said.
Customs and Border Protection screens and vets migrants encountered at the border, according to ICE officials. Those who pose a threat to security are detained, they said.
Gov. Bill Lee expressed his concerns on Twitter.
7,000 people unlawfully enter our country every day. This crisis is too big to ignore, & the only way to stop it is to secure the border. Placing the burden on states is not a solution, & we should not bear the brunt of the federal government’s failures.
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) December 20, 2022
Clerjeune said this was an attempt to further their political profiles.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said he's investigating whether sending migrants to the mid-state is legal. He said in part:
"Tennesseans should not be forced to bear the burden of the federal government’s ongoing failure to secure the border," Skrmetti's wrote in a statement. "The Attorney General’s Office joins Gov. Lee and our federal delegation in demanding the administration abandon their plan to release detainees into our state. As a prosecutor, I saw first-hand the opportunities our porous border created for child sex traffickers. As Attorney General, I have seen how our porous border has allowed the opioid epidemic to metastasize into a fentanyl epidemic as Mexican factories turn Chinese chemicals into drugs that kill thousands of Americans. Every day that we fail to secure our border, we allow these terrible harms to continue. We are exploring all options."
It's unclear what will happen next.
