Overview:
Tennessee lawmakers have proposed two bills aimed at undocumented immigrants, including requiring law enforcement to transport them to "sanctuary cities" and requiring state IDs to distinguish citizens from noncitizens. The bills come as Republican support for Donald Trump's undefined mass deportation plan continues, with Governor Bill Lee expressing support for Trump's plan and suggesting a willingness to work with him. The bills are driven by a perceived increase in migrant crime and a belief that Trump will execute the "largest domestic deportation operation in American history."
Immigration will be a top issue in Tennessee’s legislature this year despite Republican support of Donald Trump’s undefined mass deportation plan.
In the first handful of proposed bills for the upcoming legislative session, two Republicans have already set out to require law enforcement to transport undocumented immigrants out of state and to distinguish citizens from noncitizens on state IDs, as the governor signals support for President-elect Trump’s proposal.
State Rep. Todd Warner (R- Chapel Hill), introduced a bill Wednesday that would require law enforcement to transport undocumented individuals up to 700 miles away to so-called “sanctuary cities” like Chicago and Washington, D.C. — where officials have offered protections to migrants — if federal authorities do not take custody of the migrants before a 48-hour immigration detainer expires, requiring local officials to release the individual.
Then, Warner’s bill would allow the state to recoup the expenses they incur from the share of the gas tax usually given to the federal government to reimburse local authorities for work he says federal agencies should be doing.
“I think this is one way to help hold the federal government’s feet to the fire,” Warner told the Banner on Thursday.
Warner said his bill is intended to keep limited resources like public school funding for citizens rather than “illegals.”
“I thought about deporting them all the way back to their home country, but that seemed hard to do,” Warner explained. “If these cities want to take them, then God bless them.”
Asked about the staffing it would take from law enforcement agencies to transport the people to other cities, Warner said maybe law enforcement “wouldn’t have to drive them.”
“I’m not sure we don’t just pay for a bus or a plane ticket,” he added.
Asked if he was concerned about whether the detainees would go to the intended cities if they weren’t transported by law enforcement, Warner said there could be a police escort.
“I guess that could be a concern, but maybe a county could dedicate one officer who goes with them,” Warner said. “And whatever resources were spent would go back to the local agency.”
Another bill aimed at migrants who qualify for a state driver’s license, which can include certain noncitizens, would require the state to redesign licenses, permits and other IDs to “distinguish” between those with full citizenship and those without.
The bill comes from State Rep. Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka), who was not available to take questions on Thursday, but told the Banner that his bill was also intended to fill gaps in immigration policy.
“The federal government’s failure to properly address illegal immigration is costing taxpayers billions of dollars annually and creating chaos in our communities,” Cepicky said in an emailed statement.
The bill would help law enforcement and others identify someone’s immigration status “by simply allowing individuals with a Tennessee driver’s license to choose whether they want to provide the state with proof of their citizenship,” according to Cepicky.
“This would allow employers that are required to use E-Verify and agencies like TennCare to easily determine if someone’s legal status has already been confirmed, making government more efficient,” he added, comparing the verification to the Real ID program.
Even though both bills were introduced by House Republicans on the same day, Warner says they were not coordinated, and he didn’t know about the bill from Cepicky. The issue is so prominent among Tennessee conservatives that the two happened to fall back-to-back with fewer than a dozen bills introduced in the house.
Warner says his bill is driven by a perceived increase in migrant crime and that he’s optimistic that the second Trump presidency will address many policies that may otherwise come from the state.
“The news and the crime that’s being reported across the country show that we’re behind the 8-ball on this,” Warner said. “Hopefully, Trump will make that better.”
Trump has repeatedly promised mass deportation and has endorsed the Republican National Committee platform, which says that he will execute the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history.”
While the exact logistics of Trump’s plan have not been shared, he campaigned on the idea of enlisting federal, state and local law enforcement to round up undocumented migrants, with an emphasis on those deemed “illegal criminals.” He has also repeatedly condemned sanctuary cities, and Tuesday tapped former ICE Director Tom Homan to be a “border czar” during his second term.
Homan said this week that the new administration will target migrants in sanctuary cities, with or without support from state and local leaders.
Gov. Bill Lee, who has consistently supported Trump despite criticisms from the former president this summer, hasn’t said whether he would support using Tennessee’s National Guard to help with deportation efforts, but suggested a willingness to work with Trump.
“The president will set his policies and determine what his strategies are going forward. And then obviously, we’ll work with him to implement strategies that work for Tennessee,” Lee said when asked about deportation during a Wednesday news conference.
Lee also said that his team had spoken with Trump’s team before the election and that Trump “wants input on policy going forward.”