U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday announced the arrest of Luis Meza-Olivera, who was convicted on multiple felony offenses in Tennessee, but was released from the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Hartsville after his sentence despite being an illegal alien from Peru.
Records show Meza-Olivera was sentenced to 12 years after being convicted of aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping in 2019. According to ICE, he was additionally previously convicted of battery and arson on a home.
“Astoundingly, the Trousdale Department of Corrections released him from custody without notifying ICE,” reported the agency.
Instead of receiving notice that Meza-Olivera was scheduled to be released, the federal agency claimed a school official submitted a tip after the convicted criminal’s child expressed fear of her father.
“ICE became aware of his release thanks to a tip from a school official, warning officers that Meza-Olivera’s daughter was aware of his release from custody and feared that he would return to kill her mother,” the agency reported, adding that Meza-Olivera was detained last week.
TENNESSEE SCHOOL OFFICIAL TIPPED OFF ICE: DAUGHTER FEARED AGGRAVATED FELON FATHER WOULD KILL HER MOTHER
ICE @ERONewOrleans’ Fugitive Operations officers in Nashville arrested Luis Meza-Olivera, a criminal illegal alien from Peru convicted of KIDNAPPING, AGGRAVATED ASSAULT,… pic.twitter.com/vV0hrRunYJ
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) March 18, 2026
According to an appellate decision upholding his sentence, the charges against Meza-Olivera date back to December 2015, when a five-year-old child called police to report he was locked in a bedroom closet.
Police discovered the child’s mother “hogtied” with “a rope tied around her neck” when responding to the scene, and prosecutors highlighted “five prior instances of domestic violence” during the trial.
The Tennessee Star contacted CoreCivic, the private company that owns and operates the Truesdale Turner Correctional Facility, but did not receive a response before press time. The Star also contacted ICE to ask whether Meza-Olivera was subject to a federal immigration detainer, which the agency places against individuals it considers deportable, but did not receive an immediate response.
A report released by the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference in January found that more than 11,000 illegal aliens were charged with a crime or convicted in 2025, including 2,183 violent offenses and 41 homicides.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Thanks to the ice agents to keep doing their arrest for known criminals!