Three Cuban citizens are among the five men arrested during an investigation into alleged human trafficking in the state of Tennessee, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported on Tuesday. Following their capture, ICE issued immigration detention orders against them.
According to the official ICE statement, the joint operation also identified nine potential victims of human trafficking in Sumner County.
Cubans in immigration custody
The three Cubans for whom ICE issued immigration detention orders are Alinson Guerrero-Ramírez, Bryan Duany Rodríguez-Peña, and Lázaro Rodríguez-Santos. They were arrested along with two other individuals and are facing charges of promoting prostitution, after which they were taken to the Sumner County jail.
The immigration detention orders request local authorities to not release foreigners in the community once the corresponding criminal process is concluded and to hand them over to ICE to initiate the immigration procedure.
ICE details how they entered the United States
The official statement indicates that the three Cubans were found by immigration authorities and later released under the border policies implemented during the administration of former President Joe Biden.
According to ICE, Bryan Duany Rodríguez-Peña was intercepted on June 5, 2021, after illegally crossing the Rio Bravo with a group of eleven people.
Lázaro Rodríguez-Santos was located by Border Patrol agents near Yuma, Arizona, in November 2021.
On his part, Alinson Guerrero-Ramírez entered the United States in 2023 through the port of entry in Brownsville, Texas. The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued him a citation to appear before an immigration judge and granted him a temporary stay under the policy known as catch and release.
Investigation against human trafficking
The investigation was led by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations (TBI) with the involvement of its Human Trafficking Unit, the Tennessee Human Trafficking Task Force, the Sumner County Sheriff's Office, the Hendersonville Police Department, the District Attorney's Office for Judicial District 18, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Nashville, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The nine individuals identified as potential victims received assistance through a local organization specializing in support for human trafficking victims, according to ICE.
"Human trafficking is a cruel crime that exploits vulnerable individuals for financial gain," stated the acting director of ICE, David J. Venturella. "By working alongside our federal, state, and local partners, ICE helps dismantle criminal organizations, protect victims, and hold those who exploit them accountable."
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