19,000 unaccompanied migrant children have come to Tennessee since 2015; most ended up with family

Migrant teens line up for a class at a facility for babies, children and teens in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, in San Benito, Texas, on Aug. 29, 2019. Migrant children coming to Tennessee are ending up primarily in Davidson and Rutherford counties. (AP Photo/Eric Gay File) Migrant teens line up for a class at a facility for babies, children and teens in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, in San Benito, Texas, on Aug. 29, 2019. Migrant children coming to Tennessee are ending up primarily in Davidson and Rutherford counties. (AP Photo/Eric Gay File)

By Adam Friedman / Tennessee Lookout June 11, 2024 2 min read

Almost 19,000 unaccompanied migrant children have crossed the United States border and ended up in Tennessee since 2015.

Most of the children coming to the state have been placed with family members like a parent or sibling, with a vast majority arriving since the coronavirus pandemic.

The placement of unaccompanied migrant children made headlines in Tennessee three years ago when news reports emerged of the abuse of some of the children placed in a Chattanooga facility.