1. United States
2. Tenn.
3. Letter

Urgent Opposition to HB073/SB0836: The Harmful Student Immigration Data Bill I am writing to express my strong and urgent opposition to HB073/SB0836, the bill that would require Tennessee public schools to collect and report data on students' immigration status to the state education department. Despite claims that this is now "literally a data bill," this legislation remains deeply harmful, unconstitutional in intent, and a dangerous step toward targeting vulnerable children. Let me be clear about what this bill would do and why it must be stopped: 1. It Violates Federal Law and Supreme Court Precedent The original version of this bill sought to allow schools to deny enrollment to immigrant students or charge their families tuition—a direct challenge to the 1982 Supreme Court ruling in Plyler v. Doe, which guarantees all children, regardless of immigration status, the right to a free public education. While those provisions have been stripped for now, the bill's sponsor, House Majority Leader William Lamberth, has admitted that after gathering data, the legislature could "take whatever action down the road that this body would choose to take." The goal remains clear: identify immigrant students now to target them later. 2. It Creates a Hostile and Fearful Environment for Children Asking educators—who are trained to teach, not enforce immigration law—to review complex immigration documentation will inevitably create confusion, errors, and a climate of fear. Families may withdraw children from school altogether, fearing that providing information could lead to deportation. This bill turns schools, which should be safe havens for learning, into extensions of immigration enforcement. The psychological harm to children who are made to feel unwelcome and targeted is incalculable. 3. There Is No Legitimate Purpose for This Data Collection Supporters have offered no valid educational reason for collecting this data. As the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) warned, "Across history, we've seen the dangers of governments making and keeping lists of the people that they think don't belong." This bill is not about improving education—it is about identifying and ultimately excluding immigrant students. The data will be used to justify future discriminatory policies. 4. It Risks Federal Education Funding Tennessee receives over $1.1 billion in federal education funding. This bill, even in its current form, jeopardizes that funding by signaling the state's intent to undermine federal law and court rulings protecting all students' access to education. I demand that you: 1. Vote NO on HB073/SB0836 and oppose any version of this harmful legislation. 2. Publicly affirm your support for the right of all children, regardless of immigration status, to attend Tennessee public schools in a safe and welcoming environment. 3. Reject any future attempts to use data collection as a pretext for targeting immigrant students and families. Targeting children for the politics of division is unconscionable. I urge you to stand on the right side of history, the law, and basic human decency by opposing this bill.