Featured Gino Bulso HB1925 House Bill 1925 House Departments and Agencies Subcommittee illegal aliens illegal immigrants Interview One America Act SB2037 Senate Bill 2037

Republican “One America Act” Would Grant Illegal Aliens Opportunity To Legally Re-Enter Tennessee (Update 3.16.26)

March 16, 2026

0 0

***Update 3.16.26 – House and Senate Committees will both hear this legislation on Tuesday, March 17th. Contact information for both committees can be found at the end of this article.

Image Credit: rawpixel.com / Public Domain

The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –

A new Republican-sponsored bill entitled the “One America Act” would allow some illegal aliens to obtain a temporary visa and re-enter the country and state after an interview with Tennessee’s Department of Safety and a brief departure from the U.S.

Sponsored by Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood-District 61) and Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga-District 10), HB1925/SB2037 requires “every person” who has resided in the state for more than 30 days and is not “lawfully present” in the U.S. to register with the Tennessee Department of Safety and submit to an interview wherein the department will determine if the illegal alien is eligible to receive a “one-year visa for re-entry into the United States and to this state”.

The department must make a decision within 30 days of the interview, and if an individual is deemed eligible, they must leave the U.S. within 90 days of notification and only have to stay outside the country for 30 days before re-entry to the U.S. and Tennessee. Upon their return, so long as the alien does not commit a criminal offense within their one-year visa period they will be eligible to apply for a permanent resident card.

If an illegal immigrant is deemed ineligible for the re-entry visa, they must leave the U.S. within 30 days of being notified of their interview status.

The bill does not specify how the Department of Safety could possibly ensure that “every person” illegally present registers, why it only applies to illegals who have been in the state for more than a month, or what criteria the department would be using to determine eligibility for re-entry. Nor does it indicate how the state will enforce the provision requiring ineligible aliens to leave the country.

It is currently unclear if the “One America Act” is part of the slate of immigration legislation announced by Republican leadership under the advisement of White House policy advisor Stephen Miller last month, but conservatives will likely be unhappy with this bill as it does nothing to demagnetize the state to illegal immigrants. In fact, it could be perceived as the opposite, encouraging illegals to enter the state, remain for 30 days, and be easily granted access right back into the country.