Tennessee Governor Bill Lee appointed long-time law enforcement veteran Ryan Hubbard to serve as the state’s first-ever chief immigration enforcement officer.
The chief immigration enforcement officer will lead the Tennessee Chief Immigration Enforcement Division (CIED), a new division within the Tennessee Department of Safety, established through legislation passed by the Tennessee General Assembly earlier this year.
Senate Bill 6002 (SB6002) was signed into law by Lee on February 12 and became Public Chapter 1.
Tennessee is leading the nation, and we are eager to work with @realDonaldTrump and his Administration to protect Tennesseans. Ryan will be a tremendous asset in this effort, and I’m thankful for @GovBillLee’s commitment to this crucial and pressing issue. pic.twitter.com/QXQc6k7a0g
— Jack Johnson (@SenJohnson) April 18, 2025
The bill included several reforms related to immigration, including establishing CIED, establishing criminal penalties for officials who adopt sanctuary policies, issuing temporary driver’s licenses to lawful permanent residents, and creating a grant program for local governments to promote the enforcement of federal immigration laws.
On Thursday, Lee announced Hubbard will serve CIED in the role of chief immigration enforcement officer, in which he will “lead a whole-of-state-government approach to identifying and addressing the presence of individuals in Tennessee who are subject to final orders of removal or who are violent criminal offenders in the country unlawfully.”
Hubbard will further work with local and state law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and government agencies, ensuring “the effective use of data, intelligence, and legal tools to identify and remove individuals who pose a threat to the state’s safety and security.”
“Tennessee has a long track record of stepping up to secure our Nation’s borders, and we stand ready to be a willing partner as the Trump Administration strengthens public safety by enforcing immigration laws. on the books,” Lee said in a statement.
“Ryan Hubbard is a dedicated public servant with decades of experience in immigration enforcement, and I am confident he is the right person to oversee this new division,” Lee added.
Hubbard, a long-time immigration enforcement professional with 28 years of federal service, began his career in 1996 as a U.S. Border Patrol Agent and later became a Special Agent with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, according to the governor’s office.
In 2003, Hubbard joined the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, working in Memphis and Nashville through the Homeland Security Investigations on cases involving immigration fraud, smuggling, identity theft, and sex trafficking. From 2009 to 2019, he was assigned to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Nashville.
Hubbard joined the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security in March after retiring from federal service one month prior.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Bill Lee” by Bill Lee.
