Tennessee Republican lawmakers urge local police to work with ICE, help with deportations
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Some Tennessee Republicans are urging every local and state law enforcement agency to enter into a 287(g) agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to help the federal government in its effort to deport illegal immigrants.
A 287(g) agreement gives local law enforcement officers certain federal powers that allow them to detain and investigate undocumented immigrants.
'The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 added Section 287(g) to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) — authorizing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under the agency's direction and oversight,' ICE's website reads.
Rep. Lee Reeves (R-Franklin) called upon all agencies in Tennessee to enter into the agreement Monday.
'We need more than strong words. We need local action as well, so to every police chief, every sheriff, every mayor, every county commissioner, now is the time to enter into a 287(g) agreement with ICE. It's a simple partnership that lets local law officers identify and detain criminal illegal aliens. It's legal, it works, and it will save lives.'
According to ICE, eight Tennessee agencies currently have a 287(g) agreement. The majority of the agencies are sheriff's offices, in addition to the TN Dept. of Homeland Security and THP.
Three additional state agencies currently have pending 287(g) applications, according to ICE.
During a special legislative session in January, lawmakers passed a bill incentivizing departments to participate in the program by offering grants to those who take part.
'This legislation further appropriated $20 million to facilitate participation in the 287g program to make our brave men and women even more effective in that partnership,' Senate Majority Leader, Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) said.
Congressman Andy Ogles confirms federal investigation into Nashville mayor's office over illegal immigration
A bill that would have required all law enforcement agencies to take part in the program failed during the regular legislative session.
Some immigrant rights groups worry that the more departments work with ICE, the more harm it could cause.
'What we have seen time and time again with programs like the 287(g) program is the erroding of trust between our immigrant communities and local law enforcement, the siphoning away of local taxpayer dollars for civil rights lawsuits, racial profiling, and we have seen this not only here in the past in Nashville, but across the state of Tennessee,' Luis Mata with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition said.
Davidson County ended its 287(g) agreement with ICE in 2012 following controversy and a lawsuit over the handling of a pregnant woman who gave birth while shackled in county custody. It's unclear if the agency plans to enter into a new contract with ICE.
However, Republican lawmakers told reporters the 287(g) agreement saves lives.
⏩
'This isn't about politics, it's about protecting our families,' Rep. Reeves said. 'It's not about immigration, it's about crime. It's not a border crisis, it is a community crisis.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Republicans call for immigration reform in Colorado following Boulder attack
DENVER (KDVR) — Reactions are still pouring in from across the world in light of the attack on a group marching in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Politicians responded Monday, too, with some calling on policy reform here in Colorado. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are condemning the attacks, but Republicans here at home in Colorado and in Congress are calling in state leaders to reform immigration laws after Homeland Security announced the alleged perpetrator had overstayed his visit. Total injured in Boulder attack increases to 12 'Complete shock and disbelief that something so terribly inhumane can happen to people in 2025,' said Colorado state Representative Ron Weinberg was disgusted and disheartened when he learned of the attack in Boulder. The Jewish representative immigrated to the U.S. from South Africa as a young man. 'I try to not put identity politics first. I try to make sure I'm a lawmaker for the city of Loveland and the state of Colorado first and kind of federal policy and everything else aside must be dealt with on the federal level. That's where I try to deal with that. But when it comes to my families and my heritage, my whole family was affected by the Nazis,' Weinberg said. Weinberg says he doesn't want to politicize the issue so soon, but he says he does understand the frustration over Colorado's immigration laws. 'There is some truth behind the three branches of government in this state: the executive, the legislative and judicial branches being sort of run by one party. And the checks and balance system in this state, there is no check and balance. Without making this political, Democrats and Republicans need to come and work together to sort these issues out,' said Weinberg. Sentiments echoed by his former colleague, who now serves in Congress, Congressman Gabe Evans. 'An individual like this who was present in the United States and has been planning this attack from upwards of a year, we probably could have stopped this if we didn't have the limitations on the sanctuary state that we have here in Colorado,' said Evans. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Mohamed Soliman, the alleged perpetrator in Sunday's attack, was in the U.S. illegally from Egypt. According to DHS, he came to the U.S. in 2022 under a tourism visa. They say that his B-2 visa expired in February 2023, though he had been trying to seek asylum in the U.S. since September of 2022. Congressman Evans blames Colorado's immigration laws for the attack, despite the state never identifying as a sanctuary state and DHS removing a list that had most Colorado counties identifying as such. Suspect charged with federal hate crime after attacking pro-Israel group in Boulder 'These sanctuary laws handcuff law enforcement in their ability to go out and work with their federal counterparts to get violent criminals like this and outright terrorists like this individual that we saw commit this crime up in Boulder. They can't get them out of the community if they can't work with ICE,' Evans said. 'Federal, state and local law enforcement need to be able to share information with each other. So my advice to the statewide Democrats in Colorado is get with the program and allow state and local law enforcement to work with their federal counterparts. Otherwise, you are helping other antisemitic terrorists commit crimes like what we saw in Boulder.' In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump said the incident is 'Another example why we must keep our borders secure.' Congressman Evans is asking state lawmakers to repeal the immigration laws that are currently in statute. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Jamie Dimon says the markets feel 'complacent' right now — and he's not optimistic about a soft landing
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said people could be in for a surprise when they realize that the market is not doing as well as they think. Dimon was speaking to Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo for an interview filmed on Friday, which aired on Monday. During the sit-down, Bartiromo asked him about his thoughts on how the markets are doing. "Complacent. Prices are high. Things are going okay. Prices are kind of working to a soft landing. I hope that's true. I just think the odds of that are lower than other people think, and that they are gonna surprise," Dimon told Bartiromo. "There's so many things moving out there, from deficits to geopolitics, to trade. It's complex, and something can go wrong. And when things do, you usually get surprised," he continued. A representative for Dimon did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Dimon had made a similar warning when he spoke at the Reagan National Economic Forum on Friday. Dimon said the US is headed for a " crack in the bond market" because it "massively overdid" spending and quantitative easing during the COVID-19 pandemic. "It is going to happen," Dimon told forum attendees. "I just don't know if it's going to be a crisis in six months or six years, and I'm hoping that we change both the trajectory of the debt and the ability of market makers to make markets," he added. But Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent disagreed with Dimon. "I've known Jamie a long time and for his entire career he's made predictions like this. Fortunately, none of them have come true," Bessent said in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "That's why he's a banker, a great banker. He tries to look around the corner," Bessent continued. House Republicans passed President Donald Trump's " big beautiful bill" on May 22. GOP lawmakers hope the bill, which is now with the Senate, will be reach Trump's desk on July 4. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said the bill, in its current form, will increase the deficit by $2.5 trillion over the next 10 years. Bessent, however, said the Trump administration plans to reduce the deficit and "leave the country in great shape in 2028." "So the deficit this year is going to be lower than the deficit last year, and in two years it will be lower again. We are going to bring the deficit down slowly. We didn't get here in one year, and this has been a long process," he told CBS on Sunday. To be sure, Dimon isn't the only one who thinks the market has grown complacent. On Monday, "Big Short" investor Steve Eisman told CNBC's "Fast Money" that the market has "gotten pretty complacent" about tariffs. "I have one concern, and that's tariffs. That's it," Eisman said, adding that trade negotiations with Europe will be "incredibly complicated." "And I don't know what's going to happen with China. I just don't know how to handicap this because it's just too many balls in the air," he continued.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
DHS: ICE agents detained Mass. student in operation targeting father
June 2 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts high school student was detained over the weekend in an immigration law enforcement operation targeting his father, the Trump administration said Tuesday as it responded to anger over the arrest of 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes da Silva. Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a Brazilian native, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Saturday while en route to volleyball practice. His arrest prompted scores of students at his Milford High School to walk out of class in protest on Monday, and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey demanded answers from the Trump administration, which she accuses of creating "fear in our communities" through its immigration crackdown. "I'm disturbed and outraged by reports that a Milford High School student was arrested by ICE on his way to volleyball practice yesterday," Healey said in a statement. "I'm demanding that ICE provide immediate information about why he was arrested, where he is and how his due process is being protected." In response, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that da Silva was arrested by ICE agents "engaged in a targeted immigration enforcement operation of a known public safety threat and illegal alien, Joao Paulo Gomes Pereira," who is the teenager's father. DHS said justification for arresting Gomes Pereira was that local authorities informed ICE that he is in the country undocumented and "has a habit of reckless driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour through residential areas." ICE agents identified Gomes Pereira's vehicle and arrested both the father and son during a traffic stop. "While ICE officers never intended to apprehend Gomes-DaSilva, he was found to be in the United States illegally and subject to removal proceedings, so officers made the arrest," DHS said in the statement. The student is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings, it said. The pair were seemingly arrested during a one-month law enforcement crackdown in the state on undocumented migrants, the results of which were announced Monday during a press conference held by federal officials who said they detained 1,461 migrants. Concerning Gomes da Silva's detainment, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley for Massachusetts blamed the state over its alleged sanctuary policies, stating that when local law enforcement declines to work with federal immigration authorities, ICE is forced to go into their streets, and if they find undocumented individuals, they will be arrested. "He is 18 years old. He's unlawfully in this country. And, unfortunately, we had to go to Milford to look for someone else and we came across him and he was arrested," she said, then shrugged. "That's where that stands." Healey has repeatedly said Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state. In response to a reporter's question about what danger the student posed, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons retorted by asking whether they would be asking the same question if it was state police and not ICE agents that performed the arrest. "I didn't say he was dangerous, I said he's in this country illegally. We're not going to walk away from anybody," he said. "There are 18-year-olds arrested, but we are focused on this one. And I will say, his dad hasn't turned himself in yet and his dad knowns he's the target of it." In a writ of habeas corpus filed Sunday by attorney Miriam Conrad, who is representing Gomes da Silva, she said her client entered the U.S. through a student visa in 2021, which has lapsed but the student is eligible for and intends to apply for asylum. "Petitioner has no criminal history," the court document states. "Petitioner is currently being detained by federal agents without cause and in violation of his constitutional rights under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution." The officials said during the press conference that nearly 1,500 undocumented migrants were detained in Operation Patriot, which was launched amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and controversial attempt at mass deportations. The Trump administration deportations have been met with legal challenges as well as accusations of deporting U.S. citizens, including children. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., chastised the Trump administration over its detainment of Gomes da Silva. "This isn't about public safety. This is about cruelty and power and fear engendered by the Trump administration," he said in a video statement published to X. "To the Milford community, I'm with you as we tell the Trump administration to keep its hands off your kids."
