Hiring, working, driving: An immigration-related legislative recap
Four months after announcing Republican lawmakers would send a “strong message” with immigration-related bills, The Daily Memphian looks at what passed and what failed.
Topic: Immigration
RSSThere are 54 article(s) tagged Immigration:
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April 2026
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US attorney on being back in office and Task Force
More than 300 people have been charged and indicted federally since the beginning of the Memphis Safe Task Force, U.S. Attorney Mike Dunavant said on the WKNO-TV program “Behind the Headlines.”
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March 2026
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Tennessee House passes bill to track undocumented students in public schools
Tennessee educators and immigration advocates oppose the student immigration bill, criticizing the additional logistical burden schools could face and data privacy concerns in a state pushing increasingly hardline immigration policies.
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Before driving in Tennessee, Republicans want people to pass the written exam in English
In addition to progress being made on the Republicans’ immigration package this week, voucher expansion moved forward, Memphis Democrats were united while Nashville Democrats split and more at the state Capitol.
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Memphis students awarded for immigration reform documentary
Three high school students are being nationally recognized for “The Pursuit,” their documentary featuring American Dreamers and DACA recipients.
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Here’s what happened at the Tennessee Capitol last week
It was a busy week for state politics, with lots of updates on immigration and bills concerning pharmacy ownership and bail reform.
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February 2026
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Tennessee’s felony law when local officials vote for ‘sanctuary’ policies is ruled unconstitutional
Earlier last year, the GOP-supermajority state Legislature and Republican Gov. Bill Lee approved legislation to aid the Trump administration with immigration enforcement.
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Why immigration crackdown isn’t as visible in Memphis as it is in Minnesota
Minneapolis made headlines last month amid efforts by the Trump administration to aggressively crack down on illegal immigration. Similar efforts are happening in Memphis but aren’t as talked about.
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January 2026
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Tennessee GOP wants to make K-12 students verify their immigration status
Republican leadership did not say whether local schools or the Tennessee Department of Education would be responsible for verifying immigration status or where such data would be held.
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Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill with affordability, immigration on the mind
Scrapping grocery taxes, cracking down on immigration and more: Lawmakers are back in the state Capitol in Nashville. Here’s what each party plans to prioritize.
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December 2025
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Opinion: ‘The moral obligation to extend hospitality to the migrant and the stranger’
“Regardless of political affiliation or denomination, Christian people must speak clearly and with one voice that such treatment of the immigrant or cultural outsider in our midst is immoral and in direct opposition to the way of Jesus.”
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Beyond ‘get in line:’ Why becoming a US citizen is harder than you think
The process of becoming a U.S. citizen is extremely complex, taking years — sometimes decades — and thousands of dollars. Here’s how people do it.
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November 2025
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Task Force agents have made hundreds of immigration arrests in Memphis. Here’s what happened at one.
A local woman was detained by federal law enforcement Tuesday night, Nov. 11, during a traffic stop in Midtown.
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Marshals Service releases new immigration arrest totals
Prior to the most recent data provided, the U.S. Marshals Service had last given out immigration numbers on Oct. 16.
Related content:
Man shot by Task Force officers charged with attempted murder
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October 2025
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Immigration advocates say fear surges as Task Force ramps up
With helicopters in the air and detentions rising, some legal immigrants are afraid to leave home.
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August 2025
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Opinion: A Venezuelan immigrant’s experience with ICE in Memphis
Alfredo Caminata saw the United States as a safe place free from the authoritarianism and persecution he suffered in his home country. Until he was stopped by ICE agents.
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A West Tennessee ICE detainment center got the votes. The ACLU argues otherwise.
A letter sent to Mason, Tennessee officials says a vote to approve a contract for the detention center is invalid.
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Ghana government pays U of M $1 million for student costs
The Ghanaian government has made $1 million payment toward its debt at the University of Memphis for 185 students there but still owes $2.2 million.
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July 2025
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‘Just because he was brown': Advocates protest immigration policy
“They’re taking our aunts, our neighbors who have no criminal record. This (presidential) administration has criminalized being brown, being an immigrant.”
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May 2025
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MSCS board pledges to support immigrant students
Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members voted to affirm access for students regardless of immigration status, but the district’s number of Spanish-language registration sites has been cut in half.
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April 2025
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Tennessee pauses bill targeting right to education despite immigration status
The move diminishes the chances for the bill to pass this year as lawmakers prepare for a likely adjournment this week.
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State Senate passes bill aimed at immigrant students
Shelby County’s five state senators voted down party lines for a bill that would allow school districts to deny education to students based on immigration status.
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March 2025
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School districts could deny enrollment to immigrant children if bill passes
The bill passed narrowly in an 11-7 vote, with three Republicans, including Memphis Republican Mark White voting against it alongside all four of the committee’s Democrats.
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US government ends contract giving legal service to immigrant children
The decision will affect hundreds of children in the Memphis area who have legal representation through groups such as Latino Memphis, Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Mid-South Immigration Advocates.
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Steve Cohen pillories Trump before hundreds at town hall
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen holds a town hall meeting Tuesday night, blasting President Donald Trump and Elon Musk while trying to calm nervous constituents.
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