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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Governor Bill Lee has signed legislation that will require law enforcement agencies in Tennessee to report illegal immigrants in their custody to the federal government.
The new measure, sponsored by Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis-District 31) and Representative Rusty Grills (R-Newbern-District 77), is simply a change to a law that is already on the books in an attempt to bring consistency to the policy.
Law enforcement agencies were already authorized to communicate with federal immigration authorities, which some were, but others were not. The new law will mandate that communication.
Opponents of the measure have argued that this will lead to officers targeting immigrant families, but bill sponsors have stated that the law will be applied when individuals have been detained for another alleged crime.
Governor Lee expressed his support to reporters when signing the legislation on Thursday.
“When there is an interaction with law enforcement, it’s important that the appropriate authorities are notified of the status of that individual,” Lee said. “I think that makes sense. So, I’m in support of that legislation.”
After being assigned a public chapter number, the HB2124/SB2576 will go into effect on July 1.
