U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Tuesday that three out of the five men arrested last month during an operation targeting human trafficking in Middle Tennessee are “criminal illegal aliens from Cuba,” who were each released by federal authorities during the Biden administration.
The update from ICE confirms the unlawful presence of Alinson Guerrero-Ramirez, Bryan Duany Rodriguez-Pena and Lazaro Rodriguez-Santos, three of the five men who were arrested last month during an operating targeting alleged human traffickers, which was led by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
“Human trafficking is a cruel crime that exploits vulnerable people for profit,” Acting ICE Director David J. Venturella said in a statement. “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.”
According to ICE, “All three criminal illegal aliens were encountered and released into the United States under the Biden administration’s border policies.”
The press release revealed that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) first encountered Rodriguez-Pena in a group of 11 people who illegally crossed the Rio Grande river into the United States on June 5, 2021. About five months later, Border Patrol encountered Rodriguez-Santos near Yuma, Arizona.
Guerro Ramirez entered the United States illegally in Brownsville, Texas, and according to ICE, was given a notice to appear and paroled “under the Biden administration’s catch-and-release policy.”
Among the other two men charged in the case is former Hendersonville Police Department (HPD) officer Kasim Barnes, who was terminated by the department on June 13. He was reportedly charged with six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of solicitation of a minor to commit aggravated child rape, and was assigned a $1 million bond.
ICE noted that, in addition to TBI and HPD, the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Tennessee Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case.
The agency also confirmed it placed detainers on Guerro-Ramirez, Rodriguez-Pena, and Rodriguez-Santos, notifying local authorities that ICE intended to begin deportation proceedings upon their release.
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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].
