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HB0833 • 2026

Immigration

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 7; Title 8; Title 38 and Title 68, relative to illegal aliens.

Crime
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Keisling, Yager
Last action
2025-05-13
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 323
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide details on how confiscated documents are handled or stored.

Tennessee Law on Reporting Illegal Aliens

This bill requires Tennessee law enforcement agencies to report monthly interactions with illegal aliens and confiscate fake identification documents.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires a law enforcement officer who arrests an illegal alien for a crime and suspects the illegal alien possesses fake identification documents to confiscate those documents.
  • Asks each law enforcement agency, except for TBI (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation), to report monthly to the Department of Safety about interactions with illegal aliens over the previous month.
  • Instructs the Department of Safety to develop a report detailing illegal alien presence and activity in Tennessee using information from these reports.
  • Requires the Department of Safety to provide an annual report by December 1st to the General Assembly on illegal alien population, criminal enterprises, and threat analysis.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Law enforcement officers who interact with people they suspect are in the country illegally.
  • Illegal aliens who might be stopped or arrested by police.
  • The Tennessee Department of Safety, which must compile and share reports about illegal alien activity.

Terms To Know

illegal alien
A person who enters or lives in the United States without permission from federal laws.
TBI (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation)
The main investigative agency for Tennessee, which is exempted from reporting to the Department of Safety under this bill.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what happens if a police department fails to report or reports incorrectly.
  • Doesn't explain how the information will be used beyond creating and sharing reports.
  • The effectiveness of these measures in reducing illegal immigration is not discussed.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0833

Plain English: The amendment requires the centralized immigration enforcement division to create and submit a report by July 1, 2026, detailing criminal activities associated with illegal aliens in Tennessee.

  • Adds a requirement for the centralized immigration enforcement division to produce an annual report on illegal alien criminal activity by July 1, 2026.
  • Specifies that the report must include assessments of criminal enterprises and threats posed by illegal aliens within the state.
  • The amendment does not specify how the information will be used or what actions might follow from the report's findings.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0750

Plain English: The amendment requires the centralized immigration enforcement division to create and submit a report by July 1, 2026, detailing criminal activities associated with illegal aliens in Tennessee.

  • Requires the centralized immigration enforcement division to produce an annual report on illegal alien criminal activity by July 1, 2026.
  • The report must include assessments of criminal enterprises and threats posed by illegal aliens within the state.
  • Law enforcement agencies can use this information to address unlawful activities involving illegal aliens.
  • The amendment does not specify how the division will gather or analyze data for the report, which may limit its effectiveness.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 323

  2. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 05/02/2025

  3. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 323

  4. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  10. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 75, Nays 20, PNV 0

  12. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0351)

  13. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  14. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/14/2025

  15. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  16. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/10/2025

  17. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  18. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  19. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 26, Nays 5

  20. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0358)

  21. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  22. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/9/2025

  23. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/9/2025

  24. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/9/2025

  25. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 5, Nays 2 PNV 0

  26. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/1/2025

  27. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/1/2025

  28. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/2/2025

  29. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/2/2025

  30. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/31/2025

  31. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/26/2025

  32. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  33. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on Final calendar of Senate Judiciary Committee

  34. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/18/2025

  35. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  36. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 3/18/2025

  37. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/18/2025

  38. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/18/2025

  39. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/4/2025

  40. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  41. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

  42. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  43. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  44. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  45. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  46. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  47. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

CONFISCATION OF F
AKE IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS

This bill requires a law enforcement officer who arrests an illegal alien for a crime and who suspects the illegal alien possesses fake identification documents to confiscate the identification documents.

REPORTS FROM LAW EN
FORCEMENT AGENCIES TO DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY

This bill requires each law enforcement agency, except for the Tennessee bureau of investigation ("TBI"), to report monthly to the department of safety ("department") each interaction that the law enforcement ag
ency had with illegal aliens over the previous month. Each report must include (i) the date of the interaction, (ii) the number of illegal aliens encountered, (iii) a description of identification documents, if any, in their possession, (iv) copies of id
e
ntification documents found during an interaction with an illegal alien, and (v) information about confiscated identification documents. The department must use the reports to develop a report detailing illegal alien presence and activity in this state.

REPORT TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY BY DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY

This bill requires the department to provide a report to the general assembly by December 1 annually or at the request of the speaker of the senate or the speaker of the house of representatives. This r
eport must include an assessment of the population of illegal aliens residing in this state and any associated criminal enterprises. The report must also include a threat analysis for this state. The department must structure the reports to the general
a
ssembly so that ongoing investigations are not compromised by the information shared.

SHARED REPORT WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND TBI

This bill requires the department to share its reports with law enforcement agencies to ensure an integrated approa
ch to addressing issues with illegal aliens and any unlawful activities in which they are engaged. Additionally, the department must share its reports with the TBI on a regular basis.

ON APRIL 9, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE B
ILL 750, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, make the following revisions to present law:



Requires the
centralized immigration enforcement division within the department of safety
("division") to
provide a report by July 1, 2026, to the chief clerk of each house of the general assembly and the legislative librarian regarding illegal alien criminal activity in this state. The report must include
(i)
an assessment of any criminal enterprises occurring in this state that are associated with illegal aliens
and (ii)
an analysis of any threats posed by illegal aliens within this state.



Authorizes the
division
to
utilize information and assistance from the Tennessee bureau of investigation, but
the division must
not include any information in the report that could compromise ongoing investigations, criminal prosecutions, or any other information that is confidential under state or federal law.



Requires t
he division
to
share the report with law enforcement agencies within the state to ensure an integrated approach to addressing any unlawful activities in which illegal aliens are engaged.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 750
By Yager

HOUSE BILL 833
By Keisling

HB0833
000516
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 7; Title 8; Title 38 and Title 68, relative to
illegal aliens.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 20, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) Each law enforcement agency, except for the Tennessee bureau of
investigation (TBI), shall report monthly to the department of safety each interaction that
the law enforcement agency had with illegal aliens over the previous month. The report
must include the date of the interaction, the number of illegal aliens encountered, and a
description of identification documents, if any, in their possession. The law enforcement
agency shall include in the report copies of the identification documents found during an
interaction with an illegal alien. A law enforcement officer who arrests an illegal alien for
a crime and who suspects the illegal alien possesses fake identification documents shall
confiscate the identification documents. The law enforcement agency shall include
information about confiscated identification documents in the report.
(b) The department shall work with law enforcement agencies to standardize the
reporting criteria and process.
(c) The department shall use the reports submitted pursuant to subsection (a) to
develop a report detailing illegal alien presence and activity in this state. The
department shall share its reports with the Tennessee bureau of investigation on a
regular basis.

- 2 - 000516

(d) The department shall provide a report to the general assembly by December
1 annually or at the request of the speaker of the senate or the speaker of the house of
representatives. This report must include an assessment of the population of illegal
aliens residing in this state and any associated criminal enterprises. The report must
also include a threat analysis for this state. The department shall structure the reports to
the general assembly so that ongoing investigations are not compromised by the
information shared.
(e) The department shall share its reports with law enforcement agencies to
ensure an integrated approach to addressing issues with illegal aliens and any unlawful
activities in which they are engaged.
(f) As used in this section, "illegal alien" means an individual who enters or
resides in the United States without authorization under federal law.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.