Thread: TN lawmakers look to other states in immigration law

TN lawmakers look to other states in immigration law

msnbc.msn.com
WSMV-TV
updated 22 minutes ago

Immigration is on the agenda again for state lawmakers. But legislators looking to crack down on those moving to Tennessee illegally are also looking at what's happening in other states, like Alabama, and taking a different approach.

Luis Escoto has seen first-hand how Alabama's new immigration law has impacted the Latino community in that state.

"They had two emotions, I could feel one was fear but the other was anger, like a righteous anger," Escoto, of Nashville, said.

Alabama passed what is considered the toughest immigration law in the country. It allows police to detain anyone they believe is in the country illegally and included a section, which a court recently blocked, that requires schools to find out the status of their students.

Tennessee state lawmakers have seen the outcome and the backlash from that law and feel Tennessee's step-by-step approach is a better fit.

"A lot of other legislatures across the country are taking a look at what Tennessee has done and saying your targeted, systematic approach is getting better results. Because the bottom line is that we've not been sued. None of our laws have been challenged," Rep. Joe Carr, R-Lascassas, said.

So far, lawmakers have passed laws requiring jailers to verify the immigration status of inmates and make businesses use e-verify to check the status of employees.
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Carr says the next step is to pass a law to make sure illegal immigrants can't use taxpayer-funded benefits, like public health programs.

As for instituting an Arizona-like immigration law, he says he wants to see some data first to see if it's necessary.

"The final goal is to protect the citizens of Tennessee from those who enter Tennessee illegally and secure the privileges and benefits that they are not entitled to," Carr said.

Those who work with the immigrant community are asking lawmakers to think twice, because every law can have unintended consequences.

"It's just that trickle down effect that no matter what approach you take, it's always going to affect everybody," Escoto said.

Both activists and lawmakers say they are hearing that immigrants have fled Alabama and come to Tennessee to escape the new law.

However, they say it's all anecdotal right now, and there are no hard numbers.

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"A lot of other legislatures across the country are taking a look at what Tennessee has done and saying your targeted, systematic approach is getting better results. Because the bottom line is that we've not been sued. None of our laws have been challenged," Rep. Joe Carr, R-Lascassas, said.

TN has not been targeted by lawsuits yet because Tennessee has not done enough to fight the illegal immigrant invasion yet.

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