KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Tennessee

SB1486 • 2026

Immigration

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 7; Title 38 and Title 41, relative to enforcement of immigration laws.

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Taylor, Cochran
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Sponsor(s) Added.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's impact on local resources and relationships between state and federal agencies is uncertain.

Tennessee Immigration Enforcement Act

This bill requires Tennessee law enforcement agencies that operate under a federal 287(g) program to accept and follow immigration detainers from federal authorities after July 1, 2026.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires sheriff's departments in Tennessee operating under the 287(g) program to hold people for up to two days if the federal government asks them to do so.
  • Ensures that any agreement between a local law enforcement agency and federal immigration officials includes training for officers on enforcing immigration laws.
  • Limits the requirement to accept and honor detainers only to sheriff's departments currently operating under an available 287(g) program.
  • Requires these agencies to notify federal authorities before releasing someone who is held due to an immigration detainer.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Sheriff's departments in Tennessee that operate under the 287(g) program
  • People detained by local police and facing potential deportation

Terms To Know

Immigration Detainer
A request from federal immigration authorities asking a local police department to hold someone for up to two days so that the federal government can take them into custody.
287(g) Program
A program where local law enforcement agencies are allowed to enforce certain aspects of federal immigration laws after training and agreement with federal authorities.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill only applies to sheriff's departments that already have agreements under the 287(g) program.
  • It is not clear how this will affect local resources or relationships between state and federal agencies.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to SB1486

Plain English: The amendment requires Tennessee law enforcement agencies to hold individuals for up to two days beyond their release date if federal immigration authorities request it through an immigration detainer.

  • Law enforcement must now accept and follow immigration detainers from federal authorities, which means holding someone in custody for up to 48 hours after they would normally be released to give federal agents time to take them into custody.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if federal immigration authorities do not arrive within the 48-hour period.
  • It is unclear how this will affect local law enforcement resources and procedures.
Amendment 2-0 to SB1486

Plain English: The amendment requires sheriff's departments in Tennessee that are part of a federal 287(g) program to hold individuals for up to two days beyond their release date if requested by federal immigration authorities.

  • Adds new subsection (d) to Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-68-105, which mandates sheriff's departments participating in the 287(g) program to accept and honor immigration detainers from federal immigration authorities.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if a sheriff's department is unable to comply with an immigration detainer request.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect the relationship between local law enforcement and immigrant communities.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  2. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  3. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 27, Nays 5

  4. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0618)

  5. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 2 - SA0964)

  6. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  7. 2026-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/14/2026

  8. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  9. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  10. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 72, Nays 23, PNV 1

  12. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/6/2026

  13. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 1 PNV 0

  14. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/2/2026

  15. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/1/2026

  16. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee to 4/1/2026

  17. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  18. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 3/31/2026

  19. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/24/2026

  20. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026

  21. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/18/2026

  22. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 7, Nays 2 PNV 0

  24. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  25. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/9/2026

  26. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 3/10/2026

  27. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee to 3/10/2026

  28. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 3/3/2026

  29. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/10/2026

  30. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/17/2026

  31. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

  32. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  33. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  34. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  35. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  36. 2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  37. 2025-12-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law authorizes a law enforcement agency to negotiate the terms of an agreement between the law enforcement agency and the appropriate federal official under the 287(g) program, concerning the enforcement of federal immigration laws, without appro
val from the governing body of the local government that the agency serves. Any memorandum of agreement negotiated pursuant to the 287(g) program must meet all of the following criteria:



Be entered into in accordance with federal law.


Require that each officer employed by the law enforcement agency be trained in accordance with the memorandum of agreement concerning the officer's role in enforcing federal immigration laws, in accordance with the 287(g) program.


Allow for the enforcement of federal immigration laws to the full extent permitted under federal law.

This bill requires, on or after July 1, 2026, the law enforcement agency to accept and honor any immigration detainer received from federal immigration authorities. As used in this provision, "accept and honor" means to comply with the requested conditi
ons in the immigration detainer and includes maintaining custody of the subject of an immigration detainer for 48 hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, beyond the time when the subject would have otherwise been released from the law enforceme
nt
agency's custody to allow federal immigration authorities to take custody of the subject and notifying federal immigration authorities as soon as possible prior to releasing the subject of the immigration detainer.

ON APRIL 14, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1486, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #2 l
imits this bill's requirements for accepting and honoring immigration detainers to

sherif
f
s
'
department
s
currently operating pursuant to
mem
orandum of agreement under an available federal 287(g) program
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2018
By Cochran

SENATE BILL 1486
By Taylor
SB1486
009839
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 7; Title 38 and Title 41, relative to
enforcement of immigration laws.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-68-105(b), is amended by deleting
the word "and" at the end of subdivision (2), deleting the period at the end of subdivision (3) and
substituting instead the language "; and", and adding the following new subdivision:
(4) On or after July 1, 2026, require the law enforcement agency to accept and
honor any immigration detainer received from federal immigration authorities. As used
in this subdivision (b)(4), "accept and honor" means to comply with the requested
conditions in the immigration detainer and includes maintaining custody of the subject of
an immigration detainer for forty-eight (48) hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and
holidays, beyond the time when the subject would have otherwise been released from
the law enforcement agency's custody to allow federal immigration authorities to take
custody of the subject and notifying federal immigration authorities as soon as possible
prior to releasing the subject of the immigration detainer.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.