Federal immigration authorities are making arrests from Tennessee jails at a far higher rate than in most other states. A recent report ranks Tennessee second only to Texas for the number of people ICE picks up directly from local detention facilities.
The data suggests that ICE is increasingly relying on local law enforcement to help implement President Donald Trump’s deportation policies.
Published by the Prison Policy Initiative, the report places Tennessee in the top five states for ICE arrests per capita, with the ranking even higher for arrests occurring inside jails.
“What the data shows in Tennessee is that police are arresting people—either explicitly for ICE pickup or for other offenses—and then holding them until ICE takes them into custody,” said Wanda Bertram, a spokesperson for the Prison Policy Initiative.
Knox County has seen particularly sharp increases, with the number of people held for ICE rising from six in January to nearly 50 by April.
Bertram noted that non-citizens are more likely to face jail time for minor offenses, such as driving without a license. “There are a number of ways immigrants can end up in the jail system for offenses that might be considered minor, but that authorities could treat as serious enough for ICE to intervene,” she said.
During a visit to Nashville in July, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem promised additional federal agents would be deployed to Tennessee, including the Nashville area.
“The rule of law needs to be enforced and enhanced here in the United States. That’s what the American people demanded, and that’s what President Trump is following through on,” Noem said.
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