ICE to let detained illegal immigrants free in Tennessee: TN governor

Fox News reports that Lee said, "We’ve been informed by ICE that they plan to release single adult detainees into Tennessee while they await court proceedings."

"This is irresponsible and a threat to the safety of Tennesseans," Lee added.

Lee said, "Furthermore, we already have a national security crisis at our border, and the Biden administration’s attempt to revoke Title 42 will only incentivize more illegal crossings."

On Monday, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a stay on the lifting of Title 42, which gave officials the ability to expel illegal immigrants over health concerns.

The ruling came after a lawsuit filed from nineteen GOP-led States, including Tennessee, that asked to keep the rules in place as a measure to stave off the impact of Biden's border crisis, which has seen 2,378,944 encounters with illegal immigrants in the 2022 fiscal year and 1,659,206 in 2021.

"It’s not compassionate to perpetuate a problem that leads to more exploitation and trafficking. 7,000 people unlawfully enter our country every day," Lee said.

The humanitarian crisis on the border has seen human beings as well as fentanyl and other drugs smuggled across the southern border in record numbers.

"Placing the burden on states is not a solution, and we should not bear the brunt of the federal government’s failures," Lee said. "We are demanding the Biden administration reverse their plan for detainee relocation. In the meantime, we’re also discussing options with the Tennessee Attorney General and our federal delegation."

Title 42 was implemented under Trump and was created during the Covid pandemic. The US District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled in November that Title 42 was to be lifted by December 21. On Saturday, El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser declared a state of emergency in preparation for the expected surge of illegal immigrants when Title 42 was expected to expire.

"We know the influx on Wednesday will be incredible. It will be huge. On Wednesday our numbers will go from 2,500 to 4,000, 5,000, maybe 6,000," the mayor added.