Immigrants without permanent legal status will no longer have the right to pursue most cases in Tennessee courts under the bill introduced this month by Republican lawmakers.

bill(SB791/HB1037) Rep. Johnny Garrett of Goodlettsville and Sen. Paul Bailey of Sparta prohibit immigrants from suing local governments for compensation for negligence or medical malpractice, pursuing product liability claims, or state Access to the Crime Victims Fund has been banned.

Legal experts said the bill appears to be in direct conflict with the assurance of the 14th Amendment.

Neither Garrett nor Bailey responded to questions about the measure on Friday, but this is not yet scheduled for review by the Legislative Committee.

“Get ready,” Nashville leaders warn immigrant communities about the looming crackdown

Nashville lawyer Christopher Smith pursues such declarative judgments, the bill is an important legal tool used in Tennessee courts to challenge unconstitutional laws. He said that individuals also portray their abilities.

“This extreme measure effectively blocks the ability to challenge laws designed to silence them,” says Smith, a lawyer for the Law Doctor.

“This bill undermines basic constitutional principles by denying equal protection and access to justice and effectively creating vulnerable lower classes that are not legally reliant on,” he says. Ta.

Republican-led states weigh a variety of immigration-related laws to reflect the Trump administration’s approach to enforcement, Zachary Norris, who tracks state-level immigration policies, says civil lawsuits Tennessee’s bill banning access to the site appears to be unique. Senior lawyer at the Niskanen Center, a think tank based in Washington, D.C.

Norris said the measure would invite abuse by individuals and agencies who know that if successful they cannot be held responsible for conduct that harms an individual who has entered the country illegally.

Legislation targeting non-immigrant non-profit organizations

One scenario raised by Norris: Manufacturers of products sold in stores that are frequently visited by immigrants without legal status could cut down on safety corners without consequences. Another: Individuals who attacked or injured an individual without permanent legal status could not be taken to court to pay the hospital or medical costs that the victim had suffered.

“This creates situations in which people believe they can trample on undocumented immigrant rights. “It removes the measure of accountability for how humans treat each other in society. ”

Norris noted that the proposed law was not the first to be introduced in Tennessee this year. situation.

Tennessee’s GOP bill targets public school education for immigrant children without legal status

Tennessee House majority leader William Lambers and state Sen. Botson, Republican Hixon; The bill has been announced Earlier this month, school districts and charter schools can “opt-out” of enrollment for students who lack permanent legal status.

a Individual invoices Rep. Gino Bruso of Brentwood and Sen. Joey Hensley of Hohenwald are both Republicans and will require parents of children without legal status to pay public school tuition and fees.

And this year’s Bill Lee signature law, which will establish a statewide voucher for students attending private schools, specifically excludes children without legal immigration status from participation.

All proposed Tennessee laws contradict the precedent established by the 1982 Pryler decision.

“The fundamental retention of Preller is that the 14th amendment equal protection clause applies to everyone,” Norris said. “Education is one of the core rights guaranteed under the 14th Amendment, so does access to court.”