Tennessee Governor Bill Lee unveiled his administration’s agenda on illegal immigration for state lawmakers to debate during next week’s special legislative session.
On Wednesday, Lee’s office released the governor’s agenda for tacking illegal immigration in the state to align with the executive actions surrounding immigration taken by President Donald Trump, which includes a five-part legislative plan compiled into one bill.
The first agenda item Lee is calling for legislators to pass within the bill is establishing the “Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division (CIEO)” which would be a “new division within the Department of Safety to ensure efficient resource allocation and effective enforcement of immigration laws.”
The Chief Immigration Enforcement Officer of the new CIEO would be appointed by the governor and “coordinate directly with the Trump Administration on federal immigration policies and implementation,” according to a release sent out by Lee’s office.
The second item on the governor’s agenda to address illegal immigration is changing the standards for obtaining state-issued IDs by legislation that “restricts eligibility for state-issued IDs to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and individuals with federal authorization for a specified period.”
Under the proposal, non-citizens would be issued temporary licenses that contain “visually distinctive markers” and must obtain proof of citizenship to renew or reinstate their drivers licenses.
The governor is also proposing that legislators make it a Class E felony offense for “local officials who adopt or maintain sanctuary city policies in violation of state law” in addition to empowering the Tennessee Attorney General to “initiate removal proceedings for officials convicted of violating anti-sanctuary city provisions.”
When it comes to “incentivizing” participation in enforcement of federal immigration policies, the governor is wants to encourage local governments to enter into agreements with federal authorities under the 287(g) program to “assist with immigration law enforcement, detention, and removal efforts” and, likewise, establish “penalties for officials who fail to comply with enforcement mandates.”
The federal 287(g) program authorizes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under the agency’s direction and oversight.
Finally, the governor is proposing that an “Immigration Enforcement” grant program be created to allocate funding for local governments to “assist with training law enforcement officers, operational expenses and purchasing necessary equipment, and other eligible activities to support federal and state immigration policies.”
The nine-page bill, filed as HB 6001/SB 6002, was introduced in the General Assembly on Wednesday.
“Tennessee has a long track record of stepping up to secure our Nation’s borders and strengthening public safety. 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 governor said in a statement.
Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge), Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville), House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland), and Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson) all released statements in support of the governor’s proposed bill.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Image “Gov. Bill Lee” by Gov. Bill Lee.
