Tennessee’s Republican governor said Monday he will allow a bill to become law that would ban local governments in his state from blocking cooperation with federal immigration officers.
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam told reporters he will allow a bill that passed the state legislature last month to become law, but he is stopping short of signing it.
Tennessee law dictates that if a bill has not been signed or vetoed after its passage, it automatically becomes law 10 days after it is submitted to the governor. Lawmakers submitted it to Haslam on May 10, and he sent it back May 21, according to the Tennessee General Assembly website.
Under the new law, all localities within the Volunteer State will be banned from adopting policies that prohibit law enforcement officers from honoring detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill was approved just before the General Assembly adjourned April 25.
Rep. Diane Black, who is running for the GOP nomination to replace a term-limited Haslam, said she supports the bill.
The state law would ban city and municipal officials from trying to limit law enforcement officers in their jurisdictions from cooperating with ICE. In all national arrests, when a person is taken into custody by local police or a sheriff’s office, his or her name and fingerprints are automatically cross-checked against multiple national background systems.
If the person is flagged as a noncitizen who lacks permission to be in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security’s agency can ask officers at the local facility to “detain” the person for up to 48 hours beyond his or her release date in order for federal agents to pick up that person from the jail.
The person will then go through removal proceedings as a federal judge decides whether he or she is a candidate for deportation.
However, in sanctuary cities, law enforcement will not hold people for ICE. The Tennessee bill would force localities to honor the federal process.
