Tennessee Governor Signs Law Requiring Officers to Assist Federal Immigration Authorities

The Republican-led bill passed in the Tennessee state House in March and in the state Senate last week. The law goes into effect on July 1.
Tennessee Governor Signs Law Requiring Officers to Assist Federal Immigration Authorities
Governor of Tennessee Bill Lee speaks onstage during the ELVIS Act Press Conference - Protect Tennessee Music at RCA Studio A in Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 10, 2024. Ed Rode/Getty Images for RIAA
|Updated:
0:00

Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee enacted a law on Thursday defining requirements for law enforcement officers within the state to work with federal immigration authorities when they encounter illegal immigrant suspects.

The legislation, states law enforcement agencies and officials in Tennessee shall “communicate with the appropriate federal official regarding the immigration status of any individual, including reporting knowledge that a particular alien is not lawfully present in the United States or otherwise cooperate with the appropriate federal official in the identification, apprehension, detention, or removal of aliens not lawfully present in the United States.”