Suit challenges Tennessee law against ‘harboring’ undocumented immigrants

On Friday, a team of lawyers from legal and immigrant advocacy groups filed a lawsuit challenging a new Tennessee law that criminalizes providing “harbor” to undocumented immigrants.

The lawsuit argues that immigration enforcement is a power reserved for the federal government, not the states, and that the broad language of the law would only sow confusion and fear about what activities do or do not break the law. Lawyers claim the language about harboring undocumented immigrants is vague enough to cover religious services, emergency weather shelters, education programs and renting out properties.