Tennessee Sanctuary City Prohibition Statute

HB 2315, enacted in 2018 and codified at T.C.A. 7-68-101 through 7-68-104, prohibits any state or local governmental entity, official, or law enforcement agency from adopting or enforcing a sanctuary policy. Local governments must comply with federal immigration detainer requests issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and may not restrict communication of immigration status information to federal authorities. Entities violating the statute become ineligible for state economic and community development grants until they certify compliance. The Tennessee Attorney General is authorized to investigate alleged violations and pursue enforcement actions.

Localities adopting sanctuary policies face loss of state grant funding, attorney general enforcement action, and ineligibility for community development resources until compliance is certified.