Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include comments from the Nashville Metro Council’s Immigration Caucus.

Tennessee House Republicans on Thursday wiped out immigration laws, established new national enforcement agencies, grants to law enforcement agencies, create clear licensing for non-citizens, and public servants support sanctuary policies. I voted overwhelmingly in favor of becoming a felony.

The vote came on Thursday the day after Senate Republicans approved Gov. Bill Lee’s immigration enforcement package. There were no Democrats in either room in the Tennessee Legislature who voted in favor of the bill.

Passing the bill despite concerns over the constitutionality of the provisions creating a Class E felony that will be fined up to six years in prison and a fine of $3,000 for civil servants who vote in favor of so-called sanctuary policies. It came out.

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Congress’s own lawyers advised lawmakers that the measure was a “constitutional suspect.” Within an hour of the House vote, the Tennessee ACLU announced it would pose a legal challenge to the measure.

“This authoritarian law is incompatible with democratic American values ​​and the rule of law. We have no choice but to challenge it in court,” said ACLU, Tennessee’s legal director. Please read Stella Yarborough’s emailed statement.

The Nashville Metro Council’s Immigration Caucus has issued a brief statement saying, “We’ll meet you in court.” Asked if the Caucus plans to take part in the ACLU legal action, Councillor Sandra Sepulveda said he is “exploring all of our legal options.”

On the House floor, House majority leader William Lambers defended criminal penalties for insults from his Democratic colleagues. He described the provision in various ways as “constitutionally insane”, “dangerous precedent”, “immorality” and “authoritarian.”

“The easiest crime in the world to avoid. Don’t vote in favor of a sanctuary city,” Lambers said.

His voice rose, and Lambers said: We are not a sanctuary for illegal immigrants from around the world who are about to come to this state. ”

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Under Tennessee law, sanctuary policies “examine or report on the status of foreign immigration” or to recognize undocumented immigrants “the right to legitimate existence within this state’s boundaries.” It is defined as prohibiting communication with federal employees.

Tennessee’s 2018 law already prohibits local governments from enacting sanctuary policies.

Lamberth said the law has not progressed well enough to file a citizen’s right to file a civil suit that challenges the state with its authority to adopt jurisdiction over sanctuary policy and withhold funds for violations.

“Unfortunately, that law at the state level means that teeth don’t have teeth,” Lambers said.

Felony applies to civil servants who vote in favor of sanctuary law, policies, or resolutions. Lamberth said it applies to city councils, county boards, school boards and city and county mayors.

The bill also creates separate temporary driver’s licenses with “visually distinctive markers” for non-citizens. Non-citizens, such as green card holders, have previously been able to obtain the same Tennessee license and ID as citizens.

Tennessee’s immigration enforcement department becomes confidential

The measure also established four national immigration enforcement units housed in the Tennessee Department of Security and Homeland Security, in contact with the Trump administration, and distributed national immigration enforcement subsidies to local law enforcement agencies. I will supervise. The department is funded annually by state taxpayers for around $500,000.

Amendments added to this week’s bill will maintain confidential work at the office and create a new exemption from the state’s public records laws for all records collected by the Department Confidential. The exemption is not limited to confidential information received from federal, state, and local businesses.

Republican lawmakers allocate $5 million in grants distributed by the Immigration Department, allowing federal police and sheriff’s deputies to enforce federal immigration laws. I assigned it to the sheriff and the police station.

So far, only two have participated in the 287(g) program: Green and Knox County’s Tennessee jurisdiction.