SB 2332 to be heard in the State & Local Government Committee
Press Release, CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. –
Senator Mark Green’s legislation to strengthen
Tennessee’s laws prohibiting sanctuary cities will be heard in the
State & Local Government Committee tomorrow. This bill is introduced as
sanctuary cities across the country are harboring criminals from the
reach of federal law enforcement.
SB 2332 prohibits state and local governments from
creating sanctuary cities and prohibits any local governments that
enact sanctuary cities from receiving any state funding. Additionally,
the bill allow Tennesseans to submit complaints to the Attorney
General and authorizes law enforcement to cooperate with federal
officials to enforce immigration laws.
“Sanctuary cities are illegal and dangerous--and
it’s time for us to take action to protect our citizens who honor the
laws of our great state and nation. By adding teeth to our existing
immigration laws, hopefully our state can prevent tragedies like what
happened to Kate Steinle in San Francisco,” noted Senator
Green.
Co-sponsors for SB 2332 include Senators Mike Bell,
Janice Bowling, Ed Jackson, Bill Ketron, Mark Pody, Kerry Roberts, and
Steve Southerland. The legislation is sponsored by Rep. Jay Reedy in
the House.
Tennesseans interested in the hearing can tune in
on the Tennessee General Assembly’s website. Below are the
details:
For more information on Senator Green’s bills,
please visit: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/members/S22.html
Rod Williams' Comment: This bill needs to pass. There are no sanctuary cities in Tennessee at this time but there is a real danger Nashville could become one. While Nashville does not inquire as to the immigration status of people who may have encounters with the police and while the city provides various services to residents regardless of their immigration status, this does not constitute being a sanctuary city. Sanctuary cities decline to cooperate with federal immigration officials outside of what is specifically required by law. When the police arrest someone, the arrest goes into a shared database. When the Immigration and customs Enforcement agency (ICE) sees a person of interest has been arrested, it will request local law enforcement hold the person for 48 hours to give, ICE time to pick up the person. This is called a "detainer." Sanctuary cities refuse to honor these request. Nashville, does not do that.
However, in June of 2017 the Metro Council came close to passing a bill that may or may not have made Nashville a Sanctuary city. The bill had contradictory language that said we would not cooperate with federal authorities regarding immigration issues but then said we would follow federal law. In any event, Mayor Barry opposed the bill and it was withdrawn when it got to third reading. Despite former Mayor Barry's credentials as a progressive, she often governed fairly prudently.
Mayor Briley in the past has made statements indicating he strongly favors Nashville becoming a sanctuary city. Maybe with the responsibility of office on his shoulders he would be more cautious and responsible, but that cannot be assumed. The move to make Nashville a sanctuary passed the Council on Second reading, so the Council has already gone on record favoring sanctuary city policies. With the mayor's support, Nashville could very well indeed become a sanctuary city. The State needs to pass Senator Geen's bill to prevent this from happening.
For more on the almost successful effort to make Nashville a sanctuary city follow this link.
Rod Williams' Comment: This bill needs to pass. There are no sanctuary cities in Tennessee at this time but there is a real danger Nashville could become one. While Nashville does not inquire as to the immigration status of people who may have encounters with the police and while the city provides various services to residents regardless of their immigration status, this does not constitute being a sanctuary city. Sanctuary cities decline to cooperate with federal immigration officials outside of what is specifically required by law. When the police arrest someone, the arrest goes into a shared database. When the Immigration and customs Enforcement agency (ICE) sees a person of interest has been arrested, it will request local law enforcement hold the person for 48 hours to give, ICE time to pick up the person. This is called a "detainer." Sanctuary cities refuse to honor these request. Nashville, does not do that.
However, in June of 2017 the Metro Council came close to passing a bill that may or may not have made Nashville a Sanctuary city. The bill had contradictory language that said we would not cooperate with federal authorities regarding immigration issues but then said we would follow federal law. In any event, Mayor Barry opposed the bill and it was withdrawn when it got to third reading. Despite former Mayor Barry's credentials as a progressive, she often governed fairly prudently.
Mayor Briley in the past has made statements indicating he strongly favors Nashville becoming a sanctuary city. Maybe with the responsibility of office on his shoulders he would be more cautious and responsible, but that cannot be assumed. The move to make Nashville a sanctuary passed the Council on Second reading, so the Council has already gone on record favoring sanctuary city policies. With the mayor's support, Nashville could very well indeed become a sanctuary city. The State needs to pass Senator Geen's bill to prevent this from happening.
For more on the almost successful effort to make Nashville a sanctuary city follow this link.
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