Police in Sumner County, Tennessee arrested five men in a human trafficking investigation. All five men face a charge called promoting prostitution. This charge means police say the men helped run or made money from a prostitution operation. Officers booked all five men into the Sumner County Jail.

Police found nine possible victims during the case. A local victim services group offered them help. Police did not name any of the nine people. El Tejano will not guess who they are.

Three of the five men are from Cuba. They came into the U.S. without legal papers. One of them first crossed the border at the Brownsville, Texas port of entry. That fact ties this Tennessee case back to South Texas.

On June 12, ICE placed holds on the three Cuban men. ICE stands for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A hold means ICE asked the jail to keep the men a bit longer. Then ICE agents can pick them up. The three men are Alinson Guerrero-Ramirez, Bryan Duany Rodriguez-Pena, and Lazaro Rodriguez-Santos. ICE says all three came into the country illegally. Agents let each man go free under border rules used by the Biden administration.

Records show how each man got here. Border agents first stopped Duany Rodriguez-Pena on June 5, 2021. He was in a group of 11 people. They crossed the Rio Grande together. In November 2021, an agent stopped Rodriguez-Santos. This happened near Yuma, Arizona. ICE says Guerrero-Ramirez crossed in 2023. He came through the Brownsville, Texas port of entry. Agents let him stay in the country. This was under a Biden-era rule. The rule is often called catch and release.

Two more men were also arrested. They face the same charge, promoting prostitution. Police did not release their names.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation led the case. The agency worked with the Sumner County Sheriff's Office. It also worked with the Hendersonville Police Department. Homeland Security agents in Nashville helped too. So did the IRS. Agents ran the operation on June 12.

Sumner County sits near Nashville, in the middle of Tennessee. It is far from the Texas border.

Brownsville is a busy port of entry on the Texas-Mexico border. This case involves one man's crossing there years ago. It is one detail in a larger case, not the whole story.

Human trafficking cases like this one often involve more than just the people charged. Police work to find victims and connect them to help. That work can take weeks or months. It often crosses many counties and even states.

The nine possible victims have not been named. That is on purpose. Police often keep victim names private. This helps keep them safe. It also helps them heal. Victim services groups can offer help to anyone who needs it.

ICE has holds on the three Cuban men. This means ICE could take them into federal custody. That would happen after the local case ends. It is not yet clear what will happen to the other two men.

Anyone with tips can call 866-347-2423. People can also use an online tip form through the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.