A state bill that would criminalize being an undocumented person in Tennessee passed the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee on Wednesday in a 6-2 vote.
House Bill 1704, sponsored by House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland), as he pitched it, “would literally make it illegal to be illegal in the state of Tennessee.” The legislation would make it a class-A misdemeanor for any undocumented person 18 or older to intentionally enter or attempt to enter Tennessee or be present in the state following a final order of removal.
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