Over 200 Tennessee Pastors Slam Bill Targeting Immigrant Students

A coalition of more than 240 pastors, Christian faith leaders, and faith-based nonprofit organizations across Tennessee have come together to oppose a bill that could allow public schools to deny enrollment for migrant children without legal status.

Why It Matters

The immigration-related education bill moving through the state legislature is part of a wider effort by Tennessee Republicans to enact legislation that aligns with President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration agenda.

The 1982 Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe ruled that it is unconstitutional to deny children access to public education based on their immigration status. The close 5-4 decision affirmed that all children—regardless of their legal status—have a right to attend public schools. In recent years, however, some conservative lawmakers have sought to challenge and roll back this protection, aiming to restrict access to education for undocumented students.

What To Know

Tennessee's Republican House Majority Leader William Lamberth introduced legislation in February that would grant public K-12 and charter schools in Tennessee the discretion to accept or deny enrollment to students who could not provide proof of legal immigration status.

Faith leaders have signed a letter urging state lawmakers to reject the legislation, describing it as un-Christian and harmful to the state's most vulnerable residents.

"Tennessee is facing an unprecedented amount of potential legislation that would harm immigrants' ability to flourish in our communities. These bills are antithetical to how scripture commands us to treat our immigrant neighbors, not to mention hinder economic growth in our state," the letter reads.

According to the American Immigration Council, over 430,000 immigrants in Tennessee contributed $4.4 billion in taxes, averaging more than $10,000 per person.

The faith leaders wrote in the letter, "We were dismayed by the response of Representative William Lamberth, who said that providing an education to immigrant students would be 'false hope.'

"Access to education creates paths of opportunity and enables the dreams of children—regardless of their country of origin - to come into reach."

The legislation, which is co-sponsored by Republican State Senator Bo Watson, would grant public and charter schools the authority to deny enrollment to children—some as young as 5—based solely on their immigration status.

"Two weeks ago I spoke with Senator Bo Watson about how much his bill (SB0836) would harm innocent children across Tennessee," Reverend Emily Jo Haynes, pastor of Kaleo Church in Nashville, told Newsweek.

"Even though we need to address immigration as a country, legislation that makes children political pawns is the wrong way to go about it. I told Senator Watson in our meeting that this bill targets my child's friends and that all children will be greatly affected by whether or not their friends will be allowed to attend school in the future."

The bill moved forward out of committee after lawmakers approved the measure with a 7-4 vote, with two Republicans—State Senators Page Walley and Ferrell Haile—joining Democrats in voting no. The vote on April 1 marked the bill's final stop in the state Senate before moving on to a full floor vote.

What People Are Saying

Judith Clerjeune, advocacy director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, said in a statement shared with Newsweek: "This bill is a direct attack on the shared value that all children, regardless of the color of their skin, what's in their parent's wallet, or where they were born, deserve a safe and supportive environment to learn and grow. By targeting Tennessee's immigrant families, this legislation prioritizes political games over the well-being of our state's future leaders.

"Education should never be a political bargaining chip. We call on lawmakers to stand on the right side of history and reject this harmful bill once and for all and instead focus on policies that foster inclusivity and opportunity for all Tennesseans."

Tennessee State Senator Heidi Campbell, a Democrat, told Newsweek in February: "Using government power to single out children and deny them an education is as cruel as it gets. House Bill 793 is the latest moral failure in a state where it's getting hard to count them all.

"No child should be punished for where they were born. Wielding state power to discriminate against kids is indefensible. We should be ensuring every child has the opportunity to learn—not deciding which ones deserve a desk in the classroom."

Tanya T. Coats, the president of the Tennessee Education Association, told Newsweek in February: "The job of Tennessee's public-school educators is to educate every student who walks through the doors of our great public schools. We ask the General Assembly to not involve educators in making decisions about the legal status of our students or their families."

What Happens Next

The House version of the bill was set to be reviewed by the House Government Operations Committee.

Update 4/8/2025 7:16 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Reverend Emily Jo Haynes.