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Article by Olivia Lupia, Tennessee Conservative News –
As part of a 2025 bill that changed driver’s license requirements in the state, a growing number of Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and other immigrants with work permits are saying they are being denied renewals, prompting immigrant rights organizations claim these individuals will be at greater risk of immigration enforcement actions.
Reports that Tennessee DACA recipients were having trouble with renewals began circulating a few weeks ago as these children of illegal immigrants sought to renew their temporary drivers’ licenses under the program that grants them legal standing and the opportunity to pursue education and careers.
Additional reports have continued to emerge, apparently affecting not just DACA recipients but other immigrants who are residing in Tennessee through temporary federal work permits because neither DACA status nor employment authorization on their own meet the criteria under the changed law for establishing a lawful immigration status for a specified time period.
The new law, HB6001, which took effect on Jan. 1 of this year revises which documents count as proof of citizenship or legal authorization to obtain certain documents, like a Tennessee driver’s license or ID. Until the change, work permits have been accepted as sufficient proof an individual is authorized to be in the country, but it appears that is no longer the case.
“T.C.A 55-50-331(g) requires applicants for a temporary driver license to provide proof of a specified period of authorized stay in the United States. DACA is a form of deferred action and does not itself confer lawful immigration status according to the Federal Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration Division,” the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (DSHS) said in a statement.
DSHS spokesperson Jason Pack also confirmed this is the same interpretation now being applied to general work permits, writing in a statement that employment authorization documents do not provide “sufficient information to verify an applicant’s lawful status and specified period of authorized stay.”
“As a result, some individuals who previously held a license could be affected at renewal if the federal documentation they present no longer establishes eligibility under State and Federal law,” the department said.
Other recent changes to state law have made it a misdemeanor to drive without a license, and this policy has directly affected illegal immigrants as many individuals charged with this offense in the state have later had ICE detainers lodged against them and been turned over to federal custody.
Several immigrant rights groups like the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and Tennessee Justice For Our Neighbors (TJFON) have claimed these new changes have caused “hundreds” of people to be denied a license renewal and affected their everyday lives.
According to one Memphis immigration attorney, “It’s a much bigger group than DACA” who will not be able to obtain Tennessee licenses.
And TIRRC Advocacy Director Jazmin Ramirez stated that those impacted by the legislation have resorted to getting rides from friends and family who can still legally drive, while others have turned to rideshares which “will eventually get costly.”
Ramirez also noted that individuals who choose to drive without a license run a risk of being pulled over, cited, or even taken into custody. “In the worst-case scenario that means people could end up in the deportation pipeline,” she said.
With the inability to renew their licenses, the roughly 6,000 DACA recipients in Tennessee and other temporarily permitted immigrant workers could find themselves subject to loss of work authorization or the possibility of deportation, particularly as the U.S. Justice Department made it easier to deport DACA recipients this year.
The Board of Immigration Appeals issued a decision stating DACA coverage alone is not enough reason to provide relief from deportation, and the Department of Homeland Security has concurred that the program itself does not automatically equate to legal status, as noted by the Tennessee DSHS in its application of HB6001.
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About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
