Tenn. governor signs bill requiring jailers to check and report inmates’ immigration status

Tenn. law requires jails to check immigrant status

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s governor has signed a measure into law that would require the state’s jailers to determine whether inmates are in the country illegally and report them if they are.

Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen said after signing the bill Monday that it would require a verification process similar to what some Tennessee cities are already doing on their own.

Sponsors say the bill is necessary because not all jurisdictions are sharing information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement when they arrest someone they suspect is illegally in the country.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee urged Bredesen to veto the legislation because it felt the measure would encourage racial profiling.

Some sheriffs also opposed the measure because it was unclear where money for the checks would come from.