Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, commended the Republican-controlled Tennessee General Assembly on Thursday for approving a new immigration bill that “creates criminal penalties for officials who adopt sanctuary policies and subsequently requires their removal from office upon conviction.”
The bill dictates that any elected official in Tennessee who votes in support of a “sanctuary city” policy for unauthorized immigrants would face a new class “E” felony.
This week, TN passed meaningful legislation to address three pressing issues that President @realDonaldTrump & Tennesseans overwhelmingly support – the Education Freedom Act, additional disaster relief for East TN & measures to halt illegal immigration. pic.twitter.com/6ib7rIGvg0
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) January 30, 2025
The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee said it would file a legal challenge against the bill.
ACLU-TN Legal Director Stella Yarbrough responded to the bill in a statement: “This unprecedented, unconstitutional legislation will inflict unimaginable harm on people who have immigrated to Tennessee seeking freedom and a better life, and criminalize any local officials who vote in support of ‘sanctuary policies.’
“Threatening officials with felony charges and criminal prosecution based solely on how they vote raises significant constitutional concerns. This authoritarian legislation is incompatible with the bedrock American values of democracy and the rule of law, and we have no choice but to challenge it in court.”
Not all Republican lawmakers in Tennessee approve of all aspects of the bill. State Senator Todd Gardenhire of Chattanooga, said: “If we set a precedent for penalizing any elected official for voting their conscience, whether it’s good or bad, then we set a dangerous precedent for the issue.”
NOTE: In April 2023 Tennessee drew national attention for lawmakers “voting their conscience” when Democratic State Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were expelled from the legislature for participating in a gun control protest inside the Tennessee Capitol just days after the Covenant School mass shooting which left six people dead. They were eventually permitted to return after legal challenges.