Tennessee Governor Unveils Plan To Aid Trump’s Illegal Immigration Crackdown
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee revealed Wednesday plans to help President Donald Trump implement his crackdown on illegal immigration in the Volunteer State.
Lee said that he will back legislation at an upcoming special session of the General Assembly to penalize local authorities who defy federal immigration officials, tighten state-issued ID laws, and create a new state position to aid immigration enforcement. Last week, Lee called a special session to address illegal immigration, hurricane disaster aid, and a school choice proposal backed by the governor.
“Tennessee has a long track record of stepping up to secure our Nation’s borders and strengthening public safety,” Lee said. “President Trump has made it clear that states will play a major role in partnering with his Administration to enforce immigration laws and keep communities safe, and Tennessee is heeding the call.”
The proposed legislation backed by Lee and Republican leadership in the Senate and House would create the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division under the state’s current Department of Safety. This division would create a chief immigration enforcement officer appointed by the governor to coordinate directly with the Trump administration in implementing federal immigration laws, according to a news release from the governor.
Another aspect of the legislation would include tightening up state identification laws. State-issued IDs would be available only to citizens, permanent residents, and individuals with federal authorization for a specified period. Any ID issued to a non-citizen would have a distinctive mark, and proof of citizenship would be required for renewing or reinstating a driver’s license.
The legislation would also create a felony offense for local officials who chose to enact sanctuary city policies and would allow the state attorney general to pursue removal proceedings for officials convicted of instituting sanctuary city laws.
While there are no official sanctuary cities in Tennessee, Democrat-run cities like Memphis have been accused of limiting cooperation with ICE and looking the other way on illegal immigration.
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The legislation would also look to create a grant program to assist in training and equipment for local law enforcement to assist federal and state immigration policies.
“With this legislation, Tennessee continues to lead the nation in fighting illegal immigration,” said Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin). “I look forward to working with my colleagues and the Trump administration to uphold the rule of law and protect state sovereignty.”