D.A. General's Office Releases Immigrant Crime Report

In compliance with Public Chapter 998 and TCA § 4-1-425, the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference (TNDAGC) released its first immigration report on Friday, January 31st. The report summarizes the data collected from local law enforcement agencies on the number of persons not lawfully present in the United States who were charged or convicted of a criminal offense in this state during the previous year.

TNDAGC worked with local law enforcement to collect data for October 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024. Across Tennessee’s 95 counties, 73 counties, including Wayne, sent in their monthly report during at least one of the required reporting months; 71 of those counties provided a report for all three months. In total, during the three-month reporting period, TNDAGC received approximately 2,719 reports of individuals who were charged or convicted of a criminal offense in this state who are not lawfully present in the United States.

The report includes a detailed breakdown of reported countries of origin and reported offenses. Of the approximate 3,854 total charges reported, 447 were violent offenses. Eleven (11) homicides were reported statewide for the three-month reporting period. As required by statute, the report was provided to Governor Bill Lee, Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton, and Lt. Governor Randy McNally on January 31, 2025. A copy of the report is publicly available on the TNDAGC website at https://www.tndagc.org/research-andpublications/.

Some key takeaways from the report include:

• Approximately 2,719 reports were submitted by local law enforcement from 73 of the state's 95 counties during October - December 2024.

• Around 92 unique countries of origin were reported.

• Of the approximate 3,854 total charges listed, 447 were violent offenses.

• 11 homicides were reported statewide (this includes first degree murder, second degree murder, and vehicular homicide).

Wayne County reported that from October 1 through December 31, 2024, there were 20 arrests of persons not lawfully present in the U.S. who were charged with a criminal offense. This was a much larger number than the arrests in Lawrence County, where there were six, and Hardin County, where there was only one. There is a possibility that those counties may not have turned in reports for all three months.

The criminal offense among illegal immigrants reported the most across the state was DUI. This was followed by offenses including domestic assault, public intoxication, and aggravated assault.

Domestic assault was the most reported violent offense among illegal immigrants in Tennessee, followed by aggravated assault. There were 21 cases of child abuse and neglect or endangerment, and several cases of rape and other sex crimes, including those against minors, were reported. Three illegal immigrants were charged with first degree murder.

Of the illegal immigrants charged in Tennessee during that time period, Mexico was the most-reported country of origin. Mexico was followed by Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, El Salvador, Cuba, Nicaragua, Jamaica, and Romania.

A report from the Migration Policy Institute shows that as of February 2025, there are approximately 150,000 undocumented immigrants in Tennessee. About 100,000 of those are aged 16 and older and participate in the state’s labor force.

In the recent special session of the Tennessee State Legislature, a bill passed concerning public safety and illegal immigration. The bill includes framework to strengthen immigration enforcement through law enforcement participation in federal programs and focusing on “local accountability.” The bill also raises standards for obtaining state-issued IDs, and mandates proof of citizenship for renewal or reinstatement of drivers’ licenses.