The Tennessee Veteran Protection and Due Process Act is under debate in the General Assembly this week. If enacted, it would prohibit local and state law enforcement from arresting a suspected undocumented immigrant if they are a U.S. military veteran.
HB 1961 and its companion Senate bill would require law enforcement to ask suspects if they served in the military, gain access to the individual’s military record, and once verified as a military veteran, not transferred to ICE detention.
“This bill is about one simple principle, if someone has worn the uniform in the United States armed forces. Tennessee should not persist in their detention or transfer to immigration enforcement without first ensuring that their service has been properly verified and their due process rights have been respected,” the bill’s sponsor Rep. Glynn D-Clarksville said. “This is not an immigration policy. This is about protecting our veterans from preventable procedural error.”
On Tues. March 10, the House Departments and Agencies Subcommittee voted to send the bill to the State and Local Government Committee for consideration. It is under review before a similar committee in the Senate.
“Across the country we have seen documented cases where veterans, including U.S. citizens have been detained by immigration enforcement operations due to mistaken identity, database errors, lack of status verification and failure to recognize military service.” Glynn said at the subcommittee meeting.
The bill would prohibit state and local law enforcement from assisting in the detention of a veteran unless they have a valid judicial warrant and written certification from the agency requesting the transfer of the suspect. Undocumented suspects would also have the right to contact an attorney and access their veteran records.
This story is part of week long news coverage of the TN General Assembly by the UT-Chattanooga PULSE Project.
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