ICE Dropped Plans to Release Immigrants Into Tennessee After State’s Pushback, AG Says

Among the thousands of immigrants planned to be released were those with criminal convictions, including for serious crimes, documents show.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent detains an illegal immigrant in a file photograph. John Moore/Getty Images

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.