Five Arrested in Tennessee Human Trafficking Sting Including Three Cuban Nationals Freed Under Biden

Multi-Agency Sting Uncovers Human Trafficking Ring in Sumner County

A multi-agency human trafficking investigation in Sumner County, Tennessee, led to the arrests of five men and the identification of nine possible victims during an operation carried out on June 11 and 12. The case has drawn significant national attention — not only because of the nature of the crimes, but because three of the five men arrested are Cuban nationals who entered the United States illegally and were released into the country under the Biden administration's border policies.

Special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Human Trafficking Unit, working with the Tennessee Human Trafficking Task Force, the Sumner County Sheriff's Office, the Hendersonville Police Department, the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Internal Revenue Service conducted the operation aimed at recovering victims of human trafficking in the Sumner County area. The breadth of agencies involved signals just how seriously authorities treated this investigation — and how deeply embedded the operation had become.

Who Was Arrested — and How They Got Here

The three men are from Cuba and entered the U.S. illegally before being released under the Biden administration's border policies, according to ICE. They were among five men arrested in the human trafficking investigation in Sumner County. Border Patrol first encountered Duany Rodriguez-Pena on June 5, 2021, as part of a group of 11 people who crossed the Rio Grande into the U.S. illegally. In November 2021, an agent encountered Rodriguez-Santos near Yuma, Arizona. Guerrero Ramírez arrived in 2023 at the Brownsville, Texas, port of entry, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued him a notice to appear before an immigration judge and released him on parole under the catch-and-release policy of the Biden administration.

All five men were charged with promoting prostitution and booked into the Sumner County Jail. They are charged with promoting prostitution by transporting women to a hotel for paid sexual encounters. The two American citizens arrested alongside the Cuban nationals face particularly serious charges. Kasim Barnes, a former Gallatin Police Department officer accused of sexual exploitation of a minor and dismissed on June 15, and Christopher Torres, 27, of Hendersonville, facing four counts of child exploitation via electronic means, were also arrested. Barnes had been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal case and any administrative review, according to the Gallatin Police Department.

Victims Identified, Support Services Mobilized

The investigation revealed at least nine potential victims in Sumner County. They were offered services through Thistle Farms, a human trafficking victim service organization, while Skull Games and Our Rescue were also on-site to assist the victims. The presence of multiple victim advocacy organizations at the scene underscores the coordinated effort to not just make arrests, but to provide immediate care and resources to those who had been exploited.

Acting ICE Director David J. Venturella stated that "human trafficking is a cruel crime that exploits vulnerable people for profit," adding that by working alongside federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, ICE is helping dismantle criminal organizations, protecting victims, and holding criminal illegal aliens accountable for exploiting others.

Legal Battles and Broader Implications

One of the Cuban detainees, Lázaro Darío Rodríguez Santos, filed a habeas corpus petition on July 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. The next day, Chief Judge Sheryl H. Lipman ordered a temporary halt to his deportation while reviewing the petition. That legal maneuver adds yet another layer of complexity to a case that already sits at the crossroads of immigration policy, law enforcement, and human rights.

This case is part of a series of recent prosecutions against Cuban nationals charged with serious offenses in the U.S., amid increased ICE activity targeting immigrants with criminal records or charges following the stricter immigration policies of the Trump administration. For many Americans, this case will sharpen an already fierce debate over what happens when border policy decisions made years ago have consequences that surface in communities far from the southern border — consequences measured not in statistics, but in real victims whose lives were upended in a Tennessee hotel.