Image Credit: Senator Brent Taylor / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis-District 31) has introduced a bill that will require law enforcement agencies hold onto illegal immigrants longer so that federal immigration authorities can take custody.
Senate Bill 1486 (SB1486) adds a subdivision to Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-68-105(b).
Tennessee law already requires that law enforcement agencies “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” and asks that law enforcement cooperate with federal officials in identifying, apprehending, detaining, or removing those not lawfully present in the U.S.
While officers are already required to be trained concerning their role in enforcing federal immigration laws, the proposed legislation mandates that law enforcement “accept and honor” federal immigration detainers, meaning that they comply with the requested conditions in the immigration detainer.
Included in the new subdivision is a requirement that law enforcement agencies and officers maintain “custody of the subject of an immigration detainer for 48 hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, beyond the time when the subject would have otherwise been released from the law enforcement agency’s custody to allow federal immigration authorities to take custody of the subject and notifying federal immigration authorities as soon as possible prior to releasing the subject of the immigration detainer.”
If passed, the law would take effect July 1st of this year.
During the 2025 legislative session of the Tennessee General Assembly, Taylor sponsored legislation that allows charitable organizations knowingly providing housing to illegal immigrants to be held liable for a loss, damages, injury, or death resulting from any criminal offense committed by such an individual who is unlawfully present in the U.S.
Taylor was also the Senate sponsor of legislation creating the offense of human smuggling; and the offense of harboring or hiding, or assisting another in harboring or hiding, within Tennessee an individual who the person knows or should have known has illegally entered or remained in the United States.
In addition, Taylor was a Senate co-sponsor of last year’s special session illegal immigration omnibus bill which created the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division, established a grant program to promote the enforcement of federal immigration laws, created criminal penalties for officials who adopt sanctuary policies and subsequently requires their removal from office upon conviction and requires the Department of Safety to issue lawful permanent residents a temporary driver license, instead of a standard license, to aid in determining voter eligibility.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
2 Responses
Of course lucifer’s accursed illegal loving dimmercraps will oppose it.
Why do we need a bill for this? I would assume all our law enforcement agencies would be in compliance with assisting our federal government in the removal of unwanted illegal immigrants.
Oh wait, I forgot, we have counties that think that they are special, and can do what ever they want. Including harboring law breakers.