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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Newly released data from the federal government shows that most of the illegal aliens arrested in Tennessee have criminal records.
According to a report released through the Deportation Data Project at the University of California Berkeley, data which was obtained through a public records request shows that nearly 80% of all illegal aliens arrested in the state have a criminal background.
As of June 10, ICE had arrested 2,695 people in Tennessee. Nearly 45% of those individuals had previously been convicted of crimes while another 36% had pending criminal charges. Only about 20% of those arrested had no prior run-ins with law enforcement.
The number of ICE arrests per day has nearly doubled in the state. In 2024, ICE agents made an average of 6.8 arrests per day. That number averages 16.9 per day so far in 2025.
Some law enforcement agencies across the state are participating in the 287(g) program, which provides federal money in exchange for their assistance with ICE arrests and inmate housing.
Knox County, in particular, is part of the Jail Enforcement Model, meaning they open their facilities for housing of inmates who may not have been arrested in the county, or even the state, but are being transferred across the county for ICE.
According to WVLT, invoices show that Knox County taxpayers are out about $130,000 so far this year for the expense of housing these inmates. While ICE does provide a daily stipend for each inmate house, it does not fully cover all related expenses, according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
Kimberly Glenn, Public Information Officer for KCSO, says ICE pays $114 per day for an inmate but estimates that costs are closer to $140 per day, leaving the county to cover the $26 deficit. Prior to March, ICE was only paying $83 per day.
While this difference in funding is coming from the sheriff’s office budget, the money spent is getting criminals off the street and moving illegal aliens out of the state and country. Glenn noted that there is no current strain on the KCSO budget because of the increase.
