5 arrested, including 3 criminal illegal aliens released into the country by the Biden administration, in Middle Tennessee human trafficking investigation

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. - ICE lodged immigration detainers June 12 against three criminal illegal aliens from Cuba arrested during a human trafficking investigation in Middle Tennessee.

The joint law enforcement operation resulted in the arrests of five men and the identification of nine potential human trafficking victims in Sumner County. Those arrested were charged with promoting prostitution and booked into the Sumner County Jail.

ICE issued detainers, which ask law enforcement agencies not to release criminal illegal aliens into the public and instead turn them over to ICE, against Alinson Guerrero-Ramirez, Bryan Duany Rodriguez-Pena and Lazaro Rodriguez-Santos, all criminal illegal aliens from Cuba.

All three criminal illegal aliens were encountered and released into the United States under the Biden administration's border policies

Customs and Border Protection first encountered Duany Rodriguez-Pena on June 5, 2021, as part of a group of 11 people who crossed the Rio Grande into the United States illegally. In November 2021, a Border Patrol agent encountered Rodriguez-Santos near Yuma, Arizona. Guerrero Ramirez first entered the U.S. illegally in 2023 at the Brownsville, Texas, port of entry. CBP issued Guerrero Ramirez a notice to appear and paroled him into the United States under the Biden administration's catch-and-release policy.

"Human trafficking is a cruel crime that exploits vulnerable people for profit," said acting ICE Director David J. Venturella. "By working alongside our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, ICE is helping dismantle criminal organizations, protecting victims, and helping hold criminal illegal aliens accountable for exploiting others."

The operation, led by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, involved special agents with the TBI Human Trafficking Unit, the Tennessee Human Trafficking Task Force, the Sumner County Sheriff's Office, the Hendersonville Police Department, the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, Homeland Security Investigations Nashville and the Internal Revenue Service.

The individuals identified as possible victims were offered services through a local human trafficking victim service organization.

Learn more about immigration detainers on our website.

Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

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