Bills tied to privacy of immigration enforcement, immigrants
Bills tied to privacy of immigration enforcement, immigrants
https://nashvillebanner.com/2026/03/12/tennessee-bills-privacy-immigration-enforcement-plyler-v-doe/
Publish Date: 2026-03-12 07:03:00
Source Domain: nashvillebanner.com
by Sarah Grace Taylor, Nashville Banner
March 12, 2026
Some Tennessee lawmakers want more privacy for agents involved in immigration enforcement and less privacy for residents who use public services.
As part of the Republican-led state legislature’s extensive immigration platform, House committees considered a bill this week that would withhold identifying information of law enforcement involved in immigration enforcement — including federal agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement — while also advancing a bill that would require local governments to track the immigration statuses of those who utilize public schools, jails, hospitals and other public resources.
On Wednesday, activists lined the hallway and packed the room where the State and Local Government Committee was set to discuss HB1711, which would not only require local governments to track individuals’ immigration statuses but would also create a Class A misdemeanor charge for any official who did not comply. The trigger bill would only go into effect if the Supreme Court overrules Plyler v. Doe, which allows children of all immigration statuses to attend public schools.
After an hour and a half of waiting, the crowd was told the bill, one of eight written in conjunction with White House Adviser Stephen Miller and sponsored by state Republicans, was deferred for a second week in a row.
The tracking bill is the harsher of two similar pieces of legislation floated by Republicans this year. The other, HB 793, is a watered-down version of a bill originally intended to challenge Plyler, allowing school boards to charge tuition or deny enrollment to non-citizen students. That bill was gutted and converted into a K-12 school-tracking bill this year as sponsor Rep. William Lamberth (R-Portland) feared the state would lose $1 billion in federal funding if it ran afoul of Plyler.
Though Lamberth’s bill no longer directly denies any student access to schools, educators and immigration…
