A bill banning so-called sanctuary cities and mandating local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement will become law, despite pleas from immigrant rights advocates, faith leaders, Tennessee educators, local law enforcement and national civil rights organizations for Gov. Bill Haslam to veto it.
Rather than reject the bill or sign it into law, the governor chose a third option that befits a man who has spent much of his tenure as the state's top executive in search of neutral ground: He will allow the bill to become law without his signature. Explaining to reporters why he opted not to veto the bill, Haslam said he believed a veto would lead the right-wing legislature to reconvene and override him or to bring the bill up again next year. The law will take effect in January 2019.
Haslam said it's time to "move on."
Immigrants, be they legal citizens or undocumented, won't have that luxury. Although there are currently no sanctuary cities in Tennessee, the bill creates sanctions for any local government that, among other things, "limits or prohibits any state governmental entity or official from communicating or cooperating with federal agencies or officials to verify or report the immigration status of any alien [or] grants to aliens unlawfully present in the United States the right to lawful presence within the boundaries of this state in violation of federal law." Such local entities would be "ineligible to receive any state moneys until the sanctuary policy is repealed, rescinded, or otherwise no longer in effect," according to the bill.
Even though no city in Tennessee has instituted a blanket sanctuary policy — that is, any policy restricting or refusing cooperation with federal immigration authorities — a number of local officials opposed the bill, citing concerns that it would deter immigrants from interacting with local government entities. Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson sent a letter to the governor on May 9 outlining his opposition to the bill.
"For local law enforcement to be effective in its mission to provide for the safety and welfare of all citizens, there must be a separation between the duties of the federal official charged with the responsibilities of enforcing immigration laws and local law enforcement. If there is confusion and apprehension on the part any person as to whether an interaction and cooperation with local authorities might produce a detrimental effect, then the safety of all of our communities is diminished."
Immigrant advocates, who have been demonstrating at the Capitol since the bill's passage, have called on Haslam to veto it, saying the bill enables mass deportations.
“When HB 2315 landed on his desk, the governor was presented with a clear choice," Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition co-executive director Stephanie Teatro says in a written statement. "He could have heeded the warnings from police chiefs, educators, domestic violence victims’ advocates, and legal experts and stopped this dangerous and misguided bill from becoming law. Instead he caved to the most extreme fringe of the electorate. He chose hate and fear over good governance."
ACLU-TN executive director Hedy Weinberg also condemned Haslam's decision in a statement:
"We are extremely disappointed in Governor Haslam's decision to allow this unconstitutional and dangerous legislation to become law without his signature. Immigrants should not have to live with the constant fear that any local police officer or sheriff they encounter is a de facto immigration agent," Weinberg says. "By allowing this bill to become law, the governor has ensured that thousands of Tennesseans will be forced to live in the shadows, in fear of reporting when they are victims or witnesses to crimes and undermining local law enforcement's ability to use their discretion and resources in the way that they believe best protects public safety in their local community. The dangerous impact this bill will have on immigrant communities has led to a public outcry throughout the state and from all corners of the country, and it is disgraceful that the governor chose not to listen to the diverse voices united in calling for immigrants in our state to be treated fairly, in alignment with the Constitution."
The governor's decision comes a little more than six weeks after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided a meatpacking plant in Tennessee, arresting nearly 100 people.
TIRRC has canceled a prayer vigil that was planned for tonight, but says public actions will be planned for later this week.
We'll post official reactions here as they come in:
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