Tennessee has enacted a new law making it a state crime for illegal immigrants to remain in the state after receiving a final deportation order or to re-enter following a previous deportation. The law carries penalties of up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
The legislation was signed by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) in April as part of the GOP’s “Immigration 2026” agenda, aligning the state with others such as Texas, Iowa, and Mississippi that have enacted similar measures to penalize illegal immigration.
U.S. District Court Judge Eli Richardson, a Trump nominee, recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by the ACLU and National Immigration Law Center challenging the law. In his ruling, Judge Richardson stated that the organizations lacked standing to challenge the legislation, describing their lawsuit as “more attorney-driven rather than client-driven.”
According to Tennessee’s 2025 Immigration Report, illegal immigrants were responsible for 2,183 violent offenses in the state, including 41 homicides, 145 sexual assaults, and 11 child rapes.
Republican State Rep. Dan Howell stated: “Forty-one Tennesseans are dead at the hands of illegal immigrants and hundreds raped. This will not be tolerated in this great state and we will do more to keep you safe.”
The law reflects a growing trend among states to address illegal immigration enforcement independently, with many measures set in motion during the Biden administration’s approach to border control.
