Legislative Recap: Tennessee Cannot Aid and Abet Illegal Immigration

I am the daughter of a legal immigrant. My mother came to America from South Korea, married my father, and built a life in this country the right way. She worked hard, paid her taxes, raised her children to love America, and never asked for a single thing she had not earned. Her story is the story of millions of immigrants who came here legally and built this country alongside their American neighbors.

That is why I cannot, in good conscience, allow the state of Tennessee to participate in the violation of federal immigration law. Our resources should be reserved for legal residents. Our laws should respect the people who waited their turn. And we should ensure fair opportunity for those still in line.

This session, the General Assembly passed the strongest state-level immigration enforcement package in the country. HB 1704 establishes state-level criminal penalties for individuals unlawfully present in the United States who have received final orders of removal. HB 1705 requires government employers to verify the work authorization status of all new hires and appointees. HB 2018 requires Tennessee law enforcement to honor federal immigration detainers by holding illegal aliens for up to 48 hours. HB 1707 ends sanctuary courts by requiring Tennessee courts to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Judges who obstruct immigration enforcement can now be referred to the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct.

HB 1708 requires written driver's license exams to be administered in English, with a one-time limited exception. Understanding roadway signage and traffic laws is a basic requirement for safe driving. HB 1709 prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving professional licenses, including for physicians, dentists, teachers, attorneys, real estate agents, and many others. HB 1710 requires city and county governments and local health departments to verify legal status for adults applying for public benefits, with the Attorney General authorized to investigate noncompliance. HB 2219 requires every Tennessee sheriff to enter into a 287(g) agreement with federal immigration officials, and HB 1706 establishes a Class A misdemeanor for illegal aliens operating a commercial motor vehicle in Tennessee.

This package puts Tennesseans first and demagnetizes the Volunteer State from illegal immigration. Tennessee taxpayers deserve confidence that benefits funded by their hard-earned dollars are going only to those legally eligible to receive them. We have closed the loopholes, ended the sanctuary practices, and made our position absolutely clear. Tennessee welcomes immigrants who come here legally, but we have a process for a reason, and we owe it to those who followed that process to uphold the rule of law.