As a historic winter storm devastated Tennessee, the fight over immigration continued to play out at the statehouse and in Nashville’s streets.
Tennessee to pilot White House immigration agenda at state level
Tennessee will be the first state to pilot the White House’s immigration agenda, which focuses on increasing verification for legal residents and requiring local law enforcement to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Immigration, school choice and Charlie Kirk: Tennessee’s legislative priorities for 2026
As Tennessee lawmakers continue the 114th General Assembly in Nashville this week, immigration and the governor’s school voucher program will still be priorities after dominating last year’s regular and special sessions.
A regional ICE detention center is coming to rural Tennessee
A small town in rural Tennessee will soon be the site of a privately-run Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.
Religious, immigrant groups sue Tennessee over law on ‘harboring’ immigrants
A new Tennessee law would impose criminal penalties for housing immigrants without legal status. The lawsuit hopes to block the law before it takes effect July 1.
Nashville Masses are emptier as the threat of deportations looms
ICE arrested nearly 200 people as part of the early May operation. The raids — and the possibility of future crack downs — has had a chilling effect on Nashville’s Spanish-speaking parishes.
Students write letter to city leaders expressing fear amid recent ICE raids
A group of students wrote an open letter to city leaders expressing fear in the wake of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in South Nashville.
Tennessee won’t deny public schooling to students without legal status — for now
A state review found the bill could’ve jeopardized more than $1 billion in federal education funding if enacted, as it violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Given the potential loss, House leadership paused consideration of the bill after it passed the Senate earlier this month.
Tennessee Senate passes measure to challenge federal education rights for undocumented students
A measure to challenge the right to an education for undocumented students narrowly passed the Tennessee Senate, 19-13, to the outrage of protesters inside and outside of the chamber.
Chattanooga school principals decry bill to deny undocumented students an education
They oppose a bill that would allow K-12 schools to refuse students based on their immigration status.







