The Tennessee House moved forward Monday with legislation that would require every county sheriff in the state to sign cooperation agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or face losing state funding. The bill passed 71-25 along party lines.
The measure is part of a broader package of immigration-related bills pushed by Tennessee Republicans in alignment with the Trump administration’s deportation priorities. If the Senate approves it this week, as expected, the bill moves to the governor for final approval.
At the center of the legislation is the federal 287(g) program, which allows local law enforcement to partner with ICE in enforcing federal immigration law. These agreements range from basic jail-based cooperation, where deputies can check the immigration status of inmates, to a more active “task force” model that allows local officers to make immigration arrests out in the community. Currently, about half of Tennessee’s law enforcement agencies have signed on to at least one version of the program.
Rep. Johnny Garrett of Goodlettsville, one of the bill’s sponsors, argued that sheriffs who have not entered these agreements are failing in their constitutional duties. “This bill simply strengthens our immigration enforcement through long-term strategic partnership between our sheriffs and the federal government to keep our counties and our communities safe,” Garrett said.
Critics, however, pushed back hard. Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville called it an unfunded mandate that puts counties at financial risk. “Our county sheriff’s departments are pretty busy already, but this is going to have so many costs that are not defined in this legislation,” she said, adding that counties could be on the hook for costly lawsuits if something goes wrong inside a county facility.
The concern is not without historical basis. Nashville suspended its own ICE agreement back in 2012 after sheriff’s deputies detained a pregnant immigrant woman and had her shackled to a bed during labor. The city faced significant public backlash and ultimately paid a costly legal settlement over the incident.
Democrats also pointed out that a $5 million state grant fund created last year to help agencies cover the costs of immigration enforcement had generated almost no interest. As of February 1, only seven sheriffs and one municipal police department had applied for the money. The state agency responsible for distributing the grants has not responded to press questions about the program.
The House also passed two other immigration-related measures the same day. One bill would restrict driver’s license tests to English only, with an 18-month transition period before taking effect. The measure raised concerns from some multinational companies with operations in Tennessee. A second bill would require law enforcement to issue “out-of-service” orders to commercial drivers passing through the state who are unable to communicate in English. Both bills now head to the Senate for consideration.