newschannel5.com
Updated: Jan 13, 2012 5:08 PM EST

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Friday brought a new development to a controversial policy requiring jailers to check the immigration status of every incoming arrestee.

In a vote Friday morning, the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training commission agreed to drop the rule. It required jail employees to ask incoming suspects where they were born, and whether they are legal U.S. citizens.

Instead the commission said county jails will follow a Federal program called Secure Communities. No questions will be asked, but every arrestee's fingerprints and records will be sent to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, which will forward the information to national databases including Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The move came after a lawsuit filed by Nashville immigration attorney, Elliot Ozment. Ozment said after Friday's decision he planned to drop the suit.

Jailers Will Not Check Immigration Status - NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather & Sports