Tennessee is a state located in the southern region of the US and it is all set with the banning of so-called “sanctuary” policies. Every state in the US has policies to ensure protection and equal rights to every resident regardless of their immigration status. One of the subsets of these policies concerned with the cooperation of the federal authorities to enforce immigration law and these subsets of policies are called as Sanctuary policies. These to ensure reporting of any crime to the police regardless of immigration status. But the rising crime rate, it cultivates an environment of fear for undocumented immigrants living in American communities. Now Tennessee passes ‘mass deportation bill’ banning immigration sanctuary policies.
Governor say on this bill becoming a law
According to Governor Bill Haslam, the best thing is to move on from it. He is even ready to pass this bill and let it become the law without his signatures. Even though as per the previous law on the subject, the state doesn’t have any sanctuary cities.
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In spite of the variety of the criticism the decision was made, ignoring all unintended consequences like it might spread fear of government entities throughout the state which mainly affects the vulnerable population. Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) according to them the bill is an “extreme mass deportation bill”, because now the locals and natives who are supporting them before banning the policies, now will collaborate with the federal immigration officials.
Even though the policy ensure while reporting the crime the police officials will not ask for the immigration status but the fear is so prevalent that now the immigrant communities is likely to call the police less.
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This banning of sanctuary policies is similar to the previous two other bills which were passed to limit sanctuary policies and ensure that local police respond to immigration detainer requests from federal officials.
SB 1070 an immigration bill passed by Arizona in 2010, it captured much of the limelight back then. According to SB 1070, the police officials are suspicious of a person that he or she is not staying in the US legally, can arrest or detain that person after verification of the immigration status. US Supreme Court upheld that case.
Texas recently passed a harsh anti-sanctuary bill that gives every right to the local police to arrest a person, without a warrant, if that person suspects of violating immigration laws and staying illegally in the US by the US Department of Homeland Security.
Now the states like Texas, Arizona, and Tennessee joined in the race of mass deportation of the immigrants. States are committed to using every resource to ban sanctuary policies.
Consequence one the bill becomes law
Communities with sanctuary policies will be given no fund until they comply with federal immigration authorities. After the bill becomes law, it will be going to impact various state and local entities including-school campus police. These entities are instructed to use all the federal money and it is ensured that that money will get reimbursed if they are ready to comply with the federal immigration laws.
According to César Hernández, a professor at the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver, these policies, just create fear but generally not enough fear of uprooting an immigrant and compel him to find some other place to live. People come as immigrants have many reasons to settle in a place and start calling it a home, sometimes it is economical and sometimes some other reasons. These in large will not affect the major moving of the undocumented immigrants.