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The White House is urging Republican-led states to crack down on immigration in new ways, like reporting undocumented immigrants who enroll in public schools, visit hospitals or apply for benefits, and Tennessee is being held up as a model. But Marianna Bacallao from member station WPLN reports that some in the state don't like what this means.
MARIANNA BACALLAO, BYLINE: When Minneapolis was at the height of the clashes between federal agents and protesters, President Donald Trump pointed to Memphis as an example of a city cooperating with federal immigration authorities. And again in March on a trip to Memphis, he applauded Tennesseans for their support.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I love Tennessee. Maybe someday I'll move to Tennessee.
BACALLAO: Part of that cooperation was a task force of local and federal agents and National Guard troops deployed in the city since October, but not everyone in Memphis is for it.
JIM WEST: The city is occupied. You go to a Home Depot or a strip mall and you see the National Guard walking around.
BACALLAO: That's Jim West, a Memphis resident who volunteers with a group called Vecindarios, which serves immigrants. He says people in Memphis oppose Trump's immigration policies, but many in the suburbs have embraced them. That's reflected in the statehouse, where power lies with Republican leaders. They say they met with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to craft an immigration package. The White House told NPR in a statement that administration officials have been willing to speak with state legislators to enact the president's agenda. In Tennessee, Republican state senator Jack Johnson says they're happy to oblige.
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JACK JOHNSON: We're not only going to cooperate with the White House and our federal immigration enforcement officials, but we're going to do everything we can to make sure that they are successful.
BACALLAO: The expanded enforcement would require proof of citizenship to become a nurse or work for a school system, mandate that hospitals and schools report undocumented patients and students, and require local law enforcement to partner with ICE. Here's Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton at the package's unveiling.
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CAMERON SEXTON: We're committed to protecting taxpayer dollars, reducing fraud, waste and abuse, and once and for all putting an end to sanctuary cities in our state, and honoring those who came here legally.
BACALLAO: Immigrant advocates point out that immigrants also contribute to tax revenues and don't commit high rates of fraud. Memphis Democratic state representative Gabby Salinas opposes the package, especially a proposal to require judges to cooperate with ICE or face removal from the bench. She says that could discourage victims from reporting crime.
GABBY SALINAS: It's already hard for someone to make the choice to seek help and to try to get out of a domestic violence situation. Oftentimes, people will go back to their abusers because it is so hard.
BACALLAO: Salinas says lawmakers should focus on affordability, not deportations. That's a point echoed by Democrats in other states and among those in the Tennessee capital, where Cesar Bautista, with the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition, has helped organize demonstrations.
CESAR BAUTISTA: Everybody is asking for affordable housing. Everybody's asking to be able to afford their groceries. That is what people are asking for in the states, not this.
BACALLAO: But House Speaker Sexton says the immigration package addresses affordability, in particular with one proposal requiring local government aid programs to verify citizenship.
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SEXTON: You have a homeless person who needs housing. Public housing is there for them. But is someone who's illegal taking their spot?
BACALLAO: Oklahoma lawmakers, after meeting with the White House, are considering a verification requirement that includes reporting people to immigration agents. In Tennessee, parts of the immigration package have already been approved by the legislature, and more are coming up for votes soon. For NPR news, I'm Marianna Bacallao in Nashville.
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