Tennessee lawmakers have approved legislation imposing stricter penalties on areas with sanctuary city policies.
On Thursday, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill establishing a new state-level immigration enforcement role to coordinate with President Donald Trump’s efforts on illegal immigration.
The legislation was introduced during a special session convened by Republican Governor Bill Lee, addressing illegal immigration, hurricane relief, and school choice. Along with creating a state immigration enforcement officer, the bill strengthens state identification laws and penalizes local officials who support sanctuary city policies.
“This week, in partnership with the General Assembly, Tennessee passed meaningful legislation to address three pressing issues that President Trump and Tennesseans overwhelmingly support – the Education Freedom Act, additional disaster relief for East Tennesseans, and measures to halt illegal immigration,” Lee stated.
The immigration bill passed with strong support in the House (72-22) and Senate (26-7) despite opposition from activists.
Endorsed by Lee and Republican leadership, the legislation establishes the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division within the Department of Safety. A chief immigration enforcement officer, appointed by the governor, will coordinate with the Trump administration to implement federal immigration laws and ensure compliance among state and local officials.
One provision of the bill classifies voting to enact a sanctuary city policy as a felony and allows citizens to challenge lenient local immigration policies. While Tennessee has no designated sanctuary cities, concerns have been raised about jurisdictions such as Memphis not fully cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
“From this day forward let it go forth, do not set up sanctuary cities in our state. We are not a sanctuary to illegal immigrants from across the world that try to come to this state,” stated House Majority Leader William Lamberth during the legislative debate.
The bill also mandates that state-issued IDs be available only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Individuals with temporary federal authorization to be in the U.S. will receive driver’s licenses marked distinctly to indicate their status.
Governor Lee is expected to sign the bill into law, while the American Civil Liberties Union has signaled plans to challenge it.
Tennessee’s special session aligns with Trump’s call for governors to follow Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ lead in supporting federal immigration enforcement. It also coincides with a Nashville-area school board urging the state to “expedite the closure of our nation’s borders” due to the strain on public education.
