Hagerty, Blackburn Demand Answers From Biden DHS on Reports of Hundreds of Illegal Immigrants Resettling in Middle TN

February 2, 2024

NASHVILLE, TN—United States Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) today sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding information on the recent reports that nearly 600 “noncitizens”—from Guatemala, Venezuela, Honduras, and Mexico—intend to travel to the Nashville area.

“We write today to express deep concern about recent reports indicating that nearly 600 migrants—from Guatemala, Venezuela, Honduras, and Mexico—intend to travel to the Nashville area,” the Senators wrote. “Specifically, the City of Franklin was recently notified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that these immigrants, following their release from DHS custody, will likely settle in Nashville, Franklin, Murfreesboro, and the surrounding communities. While this is not surprising given this administration’s continued utilization of the disastrous catch-and-release policy, the people of Tennessee should not have to bear the brunt of your failure to secure our border.”

“This troubling news comes as Biden’s border crisis continues to worsen by the day under your watch. Since President Biden took office, there have been over 8.5 million migrant encounters at our southern border,” the Senators continued. “Last December, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered more than 302,000 migrants along our southern border—the most encounters in a single month we have seen in nearly two decades. Worse still, CBP has encountered 49 individuals on the terrorist watchlist in this fiscal year alone. The Biden administration is single-handedly responsible for the humanitarian and national security crisis at our southern border, but you are forcing the American people to bear the consequences. This administration’s policy of releasing migrants into communities across the country is a dangerous and irresponsible attempt to hide the true extent of the Biden border crisis, and it is making every town in America less safe.”

A copy of the letter can be found here.

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