Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Thursday announced the appointment of Ryan Hubbard to serve as Tennessee’s First Chief Immigration Enforcement Officer, effective immediately. The appointment follows the successful passage of Governor Lee’s entire illegal immigration agenda during the 2025 special legislative session to support the Trump administration’s border security and public safety efforts.
“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,” said Governor Lee. “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.”
Mr. Hubbard is a veteran federal agent with 28 years of experience in immigration enforcement. Mr. Hubbard began his law enforcement career in 1996 as a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Casa Grande, Az., before becoming a special agent with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. He joined Homeland Security Investigations after the formation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2003 and served in both Memphis and Nashville. His work included complex criminal investigations into immigration fraud, alien smuggling, identity theft, and sex trafficking. From 2009 until 2019, Mr. Hubbard was assigned to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Nashville, contributing his immigration expertise to counterterrorism investigations.
Mr. Hubbard retired from federal service in February 2025 and was commissioned as a special agent with the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security in March. One month later, he was promoted to lead the new division as the state’s inaugural Chief Immigration Enforcement Officer.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Indiana University, with minors in Psychology and Spanish, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society.
“This office is about protecting Tennesseans from those who are already known threats—people with final deportation orders or serious criminal convictions who remain in our communities,” said Commissioner Jeff Long. “Ryan’s extensive experience makes him the right leader to build strong partnerships with local agencies and deliver results.”
The Chief Immigration Enforcement Division was established through legislation passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in January 2025 to strengthen the state’s ability to implement federal immigration policies and act against individuals who pose a public safety risk.
The CIEO 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. A central mission of the office is to work directly with local and state law enforcement agencies to pursue 287(g) agreements, a federal program that allows designated local officers to enforce certain aspects of federal immigration law.
Additionally, the CIEO will coordinate with law enforcement, prosecutors, and government agencies across Tennessee to ensure 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.
While the Chief Immigration Enforcement Division is part of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, its mission is separate and distinct from the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security, which remains focused on school safety and the mitigation of domestic threats across the state.