A Tennessee state lawmaker launched a invoice to require legislation enforcement to ship unlawful migrants accused of minor crimes to sanctuary cities reasonably than deporting them to a different nation.
State Rep. Todd Warner, a Republican, filed the invoice, the Tennessee Unlawful Immigration Act, forward of the legislative session. The proposal would additionally be sure that all legislation enforcement businesses report unlawful migrants to federal immigration authorities.
Warner informed Fox 17 that sending migrants to a sanctuary metropolis may price the state lower than deporting them to their dwelling nations, even when the federal authorities would finally tackle the deportation prices.
“It seeks to make Tennessee safer. It seeks to make the federal authorities, you understand maintain their ft to the fireplace and implement immigration legislation and it seeks the state to recoup some prices again out of it,” he mentioned.
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Asylum-seeking migrants line up in a makeshift, mountainous campsite to be processed after crossing the border with Mexico, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, close to Jacumba Sizzling Springs, California. (AP Picture/Gregory Bull, File)
Underneath the invoice, if ICE fails to indicate up in 48 hours to select up an unlawful migrant who’s detained, legislation enforcement would assist ship them to a sanctuary metropolis. Warner mentioned the arresting company could be liable for relocating the detained migrants.
Warner mentioned this might be paid for by withholding cash Tennessee generates for the federal authorities by the gasoline tax.
The lawmaker mentioned he plans so as to add an modification clarifying that the invoice would solely apply to unlawful migrants charged with a minor offense. Violent criminals would nonetheless be topic to deportation.
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Underneath the Tennessee Unlawful Immigration Act, if ICE fails to indicate up in 48 hours to select up an unlawful migrant who’s detained, legislation enforcement would assist ship them to a sanctuary metropolis. (Smith Assortment/Gado/Getty Pictures)
“That is for victimless crimes. This isn’t for somebody that has dedicated a horrible crime,” Warner informed Fox 17.
Hannah Smalley, the Advocacy and Schooling Supervisor at Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors, argues that the proposal would unnecessarily separate migrant households.
“The mere act of being transported away from your loved ones is damaging,” she informed Fox 17. “Which means folks, together with individuals who haven’t been charged with crimes, are going to be dealing with these actually punitive penalties simply on the premise of their immigration standing.”
Drone view of the Tennessee State Capitol. ((Picture by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Common Pictures Group by way of Getty Pictures))
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“When U.S. residents commit crimes and we pay a effective or we go to jail,” she added. “Immigrants are additionally doing that. So to then make this about somebody’s immigration standing, which is completely separate from any type of crime that they’d have dedicated, will not be productive to our neighborhood as a complete.”
Warner mentioned he nonetheless has to tweak the invoice, however he’s hoping it is going to obtain bipartisan help within the legislature.
