NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT /WSMV) – A new bill proposed in Tennessee would require immigration status verification for anyone seeking local government aid and that anyone determined not to be a citizen or “qualified” be reported to the immigration office.
The bill, introduced in January, would expand the Eligibility Verification for Entitlements Act, which went into effect in October 2012. The legislation already requires that adults seeking a state public benefit, including in-state tuition or public tuition assistance, be a U.S. citizen or have legal status.
Under the proposed amendment, local governments would be added to the list of entities that must verify immigration status when people apply for public benefits. If someone applies and is determined not be a citizen or have legal status, the amendment says they must be reported to the general assembly, Department of Finance and Administration and the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division.
Housing aid, homeless services, public health and child care assistance are some of the programs that would be required to take part in immigration status verification, Powers told The Tennessee Lookout.
“State agencies are already required to verify status, but so many programs we’re talking about are run through city and county governments,” he said. “A lot of times we’re finding out that they’re not verifying benefits for the local residents and we want to make sure that all taxpayer benefits (go) to the lawful residents only.”
While the bill, as-is, only applies to adults, Powers told Tennessee Lookout it would extend to parents or guardians of children looking to get vaccinated at local public health clinics.
Any local government entity or health department that chooses not to adhere to the proposed rules, if passed, would be investigated by the state’s attorney general. If violation of the bill is confirmed, legislators say all funds allocated to the government entity or health department could be withheld, including grants, contracts and state-shared taxes.
An employee or official who fails to report non-citizens could face a misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail and/or a fine of up to $2,500.
The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition said in January that the state is focused on “anti-immigrant legislation that harms all Tennesseans while ignoring real challenges facing working families.”
“These bills are not just bad policy, they are sinful,” Rev. Wesley King, associate minister at Vine Street Christian Church, added. “How can politicians who claim the Christian faith champion such a harmful and hateful policy agenda?”
