Tennessee To Look At Implementing Trump’s Immigration Agenda In Special Session
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced Wednesday that he would convene a special session of the state’s General Assembly to consider public safety and immigration legislation to prepare the state for the incoming Trump administration.
The announcement did not say what specific immigration legislation would be considered, but noted that “the incoming Trump Administration has called on states to prepare for policy implementation.” The special session will also focus on a school choice proposal backed by Lee, and Hurricane Helene disaster relief.
“The Tennessee General Assembly will consider public safety measures related to immigration to ensure the state is prepared for federal policy implementation,” the governor’s office said in a statement. “Last year, Gov. Lee directed key state agencies to begin making preparations and stand ready on Day One of the Trump Administration to support efforts to secure our Nation’s borders and keep communities safe.”
Lee’s call comes after Governor Ron DeSantis said Monday that Florida would have a special session to ready the state to implement Trump’s planned crackdown on illegal immigration. Following the announcement, Trump praised DeSantis, saying that “hopefully other Governors will follow!”
In a joint statement, Lee, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, and House Majority Leader William Lamberth said that they would focus on making sure the state had the resources to aid Trump.
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“Finally, the American people elected President Trump with a mandate to enforce immigration laws and protect our communities, and Tennessee must have the resources ready to support the Administration on Day One,” they said.
Trump’s plans reportedly include building the border wall, constructing facilities to hold migrants, imposing new asylum restrictions, reimplementing Title 42, and authorizing local law enforcement and state law enforcement to assist ICE.
Tennessee lawmakers will also consider the “Education Freedom Scholarship Act,” which would create 20,000 scholarships of around $7,000 that can be used for tuition at private schools. The legislation was introduced by Johnson in the Senate and Lamberth in the House.
Lee also asked the legislature to add $240 million in funding to the state’s Disaster Relief Grant fund, create a $110 million Hurricane Helene Interest fund, fund $100 million for Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund, and allocate $20 million to rebuild a Tennessee destroyed by the hurricane.
“In this special session, we will ensure the state is best positioned to coordinate with federal, state, and local law enforcement to implement the Trump Administration’s plan to enforce the federal immigration laws on the books,” said Lee spokeswoman Elizabeth Johnson. “President Trump has made it clear that states will play a major role in partnering with his Administration to make our communities safer. Tennessee is heeding the call.”