Tennessee Bill To Hold Charitable Organizations Liable For Crimes Committed By Illegal Immigrants Advancing In House

Image Credit: TN General Assembly

The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –

A bill allowing charitable organizations or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to be held liable for crimes committed by illegal immigrants receiving housing assistance from the organization passed in the House Civil Justice Subcommittee on Wednesday.

In a 5 to 1 vote, House Bill 0811 (HB0811), sponsored by Representative Rusty Grills (R-Newbern-District 77), moves to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration.

According to the bill’s sponsor, the “public safety” bill simply “requires NGOs to be more vigilant in their vetting and their supervising.”

The text of the bill states that the legislation “allows a charitable organization that provides housing to a person whom the charitable organization knows is unlawfully present in the United States to be held liable for a loss, damages, injury, or death resulting from a criminal offense committed by the person who is unlawfully present in the United States while the person is receiving housing services from the charitable organization if the charitable organization’s conduct in providing housing constitutes negligence, gross negligence, or willful and wanton misconduct.”

“Housing” is defined as long-term living accommodations, including assistance with obtaining or signing a lease for an apartment or rental homes and does not include temporary overnight housing such as homeless shelters or storm shelters.

Retired Lutheran Pastor Julian Gordy, from Franklin, Tennessee, who testified in the subcommittee said that the bill is a “threat to religious freedom” and is too broadly written.

“It works on the false assumption that immigrants are a drain on our resources and they contribute to crime in our communities, when neither of those assumptions is based on fact,” said Gordy.

Every week, we at The Tennessee Conservative report on stories where illegal immigrants were arrested and charged with serious crimes.

In addition, the cost to Tennessee taxpayers for the education of children of illegal immigrants in 2023 was $571 million.

The corresponding Senate Bill 0227 (SB0227), sponsored by Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis-District 31), is on the calendar to go before the Senate as a whole on Thursday, April 3rd, 2025.

About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.