After a short debate, a bill requiring law enforcement to follow standard procedure and notify relevant federal law enforcement entities of illegal alien arrests has passed the Tennessee House.
HB 2124 “requires, rather than authorizes, law enforcement agencies to communicate with the appropriate federal official regarding the immigration status of any individual, including reporting knowledge that a particular alien is not lawfully present in the United States or otherwise cooperate with the appropriate federal official in the identification, apprehension, detention, or removal of aliens not lawfully present in the United States.”
State Representative Rusty Grills (R-Newbern) sponsored the bill.
“This bill would clarify that all law enforcement including police and sheriff’s departments would be required to fully cooperate and communicate with the Department of Homeland Security [DHS],” he said last week, adding that arrestees “just have to prove who [they] are” in order to avoid being reported to DHS.
Democrats in the state have opposed the bill, and some liberal-run cities, including Nashville, currently have sanctuary policies that protect illegal aliens from federal law enforcement if they are arrested for other crimes.
Tuesday, the Tennessee Senate version of the bill, SB 2576, was recommended for passage.
“All law enforcement agencies and officials shall, in accordance with 8 U.S.C. § 1357(g)(10), communicate with the appropriate federal official regarding the immigration status of any individual, including reporting knowledge that a particular alien is not lawfully present in the United States or otherwise cooperate with the appropriate federal official in the identification, apprehension, detention, or removal of aliens not lawfully present in the United States,” says the text of the Senate’s version of the bill.
Illegal immigration to the United States has skyrocketed to record highs under President Joe Biden’s administration.
The national debate on immigration reached a fever pitch earlier this month when 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was allegedly murdered by Venezuelan national Jose Ibarra while jogging.
In response, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Laken Riley Act, which would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to issue a detainer for illegal aliens who are charged or cited with even minor crimes.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined his counterparts from around the country in calling for the bill’s passage in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
“Laken Riley’s murder should not have happened. I encourage the Senate to pass this legislation to prevent similar evils in the future, and to recognize that our open border policies must end immediately,” Skrmetti said. “Our hearts and prayers are with her family and friends as they mourn her loss.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter/X.
