Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in New Orleans are scheduled to begin transporting an unknown number of illegal aliens to Tennessee this week, Governor Lee’s office announced in a press release.
We’ve been informed by ICE that they plan to release single adult detainees into TN while they await court proceedings. This is irresponsible & a threat to the safety of Tennesseans. https://t.co/L0Jl5UsL7F
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) December 20, 2022
“We’ve been informed by ICE that they plan to release single adult detainees into TN while they await court proceedings. This is irresponsible & a threat to the safety of Tennesseans,” Governor Lee wrote in a Twitter thread.
“Furthermore, we already have a national security crisis at our border, & 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 & trafficking,” Lee continued. “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.”
Lee said the Biden administration should “reverse their plan for detainee relocation” and added that the state is “discussing options” with Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Tennessee Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty on how to administer the incoming detainees.
In a statement, Senator Blackburn (R-TN) added, “Tennesseans will not stand idly by as Biden traffics illegal immigrants into our state.”
Biden created this crisis at the southern border by terminating successful Trump-era immigration policies, including Remain in Mexico, and safe third country agreements.
Tennesseans will not stand idly by as Biden traffics illegal immigrants into our state.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) December 20, 2022
Senator Hagerty also released a statement, stating, “Today’s news underscores what I’ve heard from Tennessee law enforcement time and again, which is that our open border has turned every town into a border town […] Congress must take action to secure the border. It’s unfair to place the burden on Tennessee citizens and local officials to deal with this Administration’s self-inflicted failures.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Immigration And Customs Enforcement” by Immigration And Customs Enforcement.
