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Three Cuban citizens who entered the United States illegally were arrested during an undercover operation against human trafficking in Sumner County, Tennessee, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported on Monday.
The detained individuals were identified as Bryan Duany Rodríguez Peña, 27, a resident of Cape Coral, Florida; Alinson Guerrero Ramírez, 27, a resident of La Vergne, Tennessee; and Lázaro Darío Rodríguez Santos, 32, a resident of Miami, Florida.
According to the authorities cited by the American radio host Alex Jones, the three are accused of transporting adult women to a hotel in Hendersonville to engage in sexual encounters for money, facing state charges for promoting prostitution.
The arrests were made on June 11 and 12, during an operation led by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), and on June 12, ICE issued immigration detention orders against the three Cubans.
This is how they entered the United States
ICE detailed the immigration history of each of the defendants.
Rodríguez Peña was intercepted on June 5, 2021, after illegally crossing the Rio Grande with ten other individuals.
Rodríguez Santos was arrested by the Border Patrol in November 2021 near Yuma, Arizona, after entering the country irregularly.
For his part, Guerrero Ramírez arrived in 2023 at the port of entry in Brownsville, Texas. According to ICE, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued him a notice to appear before an immigration judge and released him on parole under the catch and release policy implemented during the administration of former President Joe Biden.
The bails set for the three range between $60,000 and $82,000, and their preliminary hearings were scheduled before the General Sessions Court of Sumner County.
Nine potential victims identified
The investigation mobilized more than half a dozen federal, state, and local agencies, and led to the identification of nine potential victims of human trafficking, who were referred for assistance through the organization Thistle Farms.
In total, the operation resulted in five arrests.
In addition to the three Cuban citizens, American Kasim Barnes, a former officer of the Gallatin Police Department, was arrested for the sexual exploitation of a minor and was dismissed from the institution on June 15. Christopher Torres, 27 years old and a resident of Hendersonville, is facing four charges of exploiting minors through electronic means, as reported by the local outlet Memphis Noticias.
One of the Cubans tries to stop his relocation
One of the detainees, Lázaro Darío Rodríguez Santos, filed a habeas corpus petition on July 9th before the Federal Court for the Western District of Tennessee.
The next day, Chief Judge Sheryl H. Lipman ordered the temporary suspension of her transfer while she reviews the appeal.
The interim director of ICE, David J. Venturella, emphasized the importance of the operation and stated that this type of investigation aims to protect victims and dismantle criminal networks.
"Human trafficking is a cruel crime that exploits vulnerable individuals for profit. By working together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, ICE is helping to dismantle criminal organizations, protect victims, and hold accountable illegal immigrants who commit crimes by exploiting others," he stated.
The case adds to other recent proceedings against Cuban citizens accused of serious crimes in the United States, amid increased activity by ICE against immigrants with criminal records or charges, following the tightening of immigration policy under the Trump administration.
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