Tennessee

Angry protests erupt in Tennessee house over migrant school bill

Published

12 months ago

March 14, 2025

Angry protests erupt in Tennessee house over migrant school bill

Protests erupted in the Tennessee House of Representatives on Tuesday over legislation that would allow public schools to bar migrant children without legal status from receiving an education.

Why It Matters

Tennessee is among several Republican-led states seeking to implement legislation aligned with President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda.

The 1982 Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe established that denying children access to public education based on their immigration status was unconstitutional. The 5-4 ruling has ensured that children, regardless of their legal status, have the right to attend public schools. However, some conservative lawmakers have challenged the ruling by seeking to end this right for undocumented immigrants.

Protesters demonstrating against a bill that would allow public and charter schools to bar the enrollment of migrant students living in the U.S. illegally outside a House meeting of the Education K-12 subcommittee in Nashville,…

George Walker IV/AP

What To Know

Last month, Republican House Majority Leader William Lamberth introduced a bill 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.

On Tuesday, the bill advanced through the House K-12 subcommittee, and protesters gathered outside the hallway of the meeting room to express a strong opposition to the bill, chanting, “Shame on you” and “Shut it down.”

The bill was approved in a 5-3 vote, with opposition from the committee’s two Democrats—Representative Yusuf Hakeem of Chattanooga and Representative Sam McKenzie of Knoxville—and Republican Representative Mark White of Memphis.

House Bill 793 would allow school districts and public charter schools to “enroll, or refuse to enroll, a student who is unlawfully present in the United States.”

The bill differs from its companion measure in the Tennessee Senate, sponsored by Senator Bo Watson, a Republican from Hixson. Amended last week, the Senate version would require public schools to verify students’ immigration status. Schools would then be allowed to charge tuition for children who could not prove lawful reside in the United States.

According to the Tennessee Lookout, Giselle Huerta, a co-founder of the child advocacy group Hijos de Inmigrantes, pleaded her case with lawmakers to oppose the bill.

“Is this the Tennessee we want to be, a state that turns its back on children who pledge allegiance to our flag every morning?” she said, according to the outlet.

Lamberth reportedly called it “false hope” to provide an education to children who would go on to face barriers to their professional dreams as adults because of their immigration status.

What People Are Saying

Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth, the bill’s sponsor, said, as quoted in the Tennessee Lookout: “It is false hope to give children the best education available in the world and then tell them they can be licensed professionals, they can be licensed doctors, they can be lawyers, they can be accountants, they can run for office, because it is not true.”

“If they are illegally present, their dreams at some point will have a ceiling and that is inappropriate.”

Damien Felipe Jimenez, a sixth grader in Knoxville, shared his goal of becoming a restaurant owner or scientist with legislators, the outlet said: “I am the son of immigrant parents who have shown me to respect and value everyone. Just like me and all the kids in this country, we have the right to dream and make those dreams come true. The right to an education should not be taken away from us because of our immigration status.”

Giselle Huerta, a co-founder of Hijos de Inmigrantes, said, according to the outlet: “Think about the message we are sending to young children who have known no other home but Tennessee—that they don’t deserve an education, that they don’t belong in a classroom alongside their friends and neighbors.”

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 last month: “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 bill’s next stop is the House Education Committee and the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee, though those hearings have not yet been scheduled.

If passed, the bill would likely face legal challenges from civil rights organizations as it conflicts with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Plyler v. Doe.

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Related Topics:Featured gop Illegal immigration immigration migrants Protests republicans Tennessee undocumented immigrants

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Tennessee

Vanderbilt women’s basketball beats Lady Vols for second-ever win in Knoxville

Published

11 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Vanderbilt women’s basketball beats Lady Vols for second-ever win in Knoxville

KNOXVILLE ― Vanderbilt women’s basketball won at Tennessee for only the second time in program history, beating the Lady Vols 87-77 at Food City Center on March 1.

The Commodores (27-3, 13-3) are the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament, which begins March 4 in Greenville, South Carolina.

The regular-season finale featured multiple runs by both teams. Tennessee went on an 8-0 run in the second quarter and took a six-point lead into halftime. Vanderbilt went on an 8-0 run to end the third quarter, then went a 10-0 run in the fourth to put the game away.

The Commodores, who shot 53% from the field, were led by Mikayla Blakes, who finished with 34 points. Aubrey Galvan had 24 points, four rebounds and five assists, and Sacha Washington had 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

“The season has been really special, to be able to end it here at Tennessee with a win and secure I think the No. 2 seed in the SEC tournament,” coach Shea Ralph said. “So the double bye, it feels really cool. I’m happy for the team, but we are literally just getting started.”

Tennessee (16-12, 8-8) outrebounded Vanderbilt 32-29. The Commodores shot 17-for-20 on layups and had 27 fast-break points. Tennessee was 10-for-24 on layups.

Vanderbilt’s SEC Tournament seed

The SEC Tournament will be held at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. Vanderbilt will start play on March 6 and holds a bye into the quarterfinals, where it will play the No. 7 or No. 10 seed at approximately 5 p.m. CT.

Mikayla Blakes stats

Blakes put up another 30-point performance, her third straight and eighth in her past nine games. She added six rebounds and four assists, but also had six turnovers.

She made six 3-pointers, which ties her season high.

“She had 34 but her biggest buckets were when we had to happen,” Ralph said. “Her biggest moments in this game were when we had to happen. That kid shows up every time.”

Third straight rivalry win

Vanderbilt now has three straight wins over the Lady Vols, beating them last season in Nashville and once in the SEC Tournament.

“I think Tennessee is a great team,” Ralph said. “They will be for as long as women’s basketball exists. Playing here in front of this crowd is tough. It’s tough. So I was really proud of our team for being able to figure it out the second half and win, especially here at Tennessee.”

The Commodores have their most SEC wins in program history.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.

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Tennessee

Tennessee baseball vs Virginia Tech live updates: Highlights, TV channel

Published

23 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee baseball vs Virginia Tech live updates: Highlights, TV channel

ARLINGTON, TX — Tennessee baseball is trying to wrap up the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series on a good note against Virginia Tech today.

The 19th-ranked Vols (7-3) lost to UCLA and beat Arizona State for a split at Globe Life Field, the home of the Texas Rangers. They’re finishing this trip against Virginia Tech (7-3), a game that began at 11:30 a.m. ET (FloCollege streaming).

Virginia Tech lost 10-0 by run rule to Texas A&M in Game 1 and lost 15-8 to Mississippi State in Game 2.

Lefthander Evan Blanco (1-1, 2.00 ERA) got the start for the Vols. Right-hander Ethan Grim (0-0, 3.75 ERA) started for Virginia Tech.

Follow live updates here from Arlington.

Tennessee baseball vs Virginia Tech live updates

Sam Grube struck out. Nick Lucorto singled to CF. Ethan Ball was hit by pitch to put runners on first and second. That ended UT starter Evan Blanco’s outing. Blanco allowed one run on two hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six, walked one and hit three batters, tossing 91 pitches.

Left-hander Mark Hindy replaced Blanco. Hindy struck out Treyson Hughes. Hudson Lutterman fouled out to end the threat. 0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 2 LOB

Chris Newstrom grounded out. Manny Marin flied out to CF. Ariel Antigua popped out. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB.

Top 5th inning: Tennessee 1, Virginia Tech 1

UT starter Evan Blanco made quick work of the Hokies, getting a strikeout, groundout and flyout. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB

Bottom 4th inning: Tennessee 1, Virginia Tech 1

Levi Clark grounded out. Reese Chapman flied out to RCF. Tyler Myatt flied out to CF. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB.

Nick Lucorto hit a solo home run, driving a 1-2 pitch over the LF wall to tie the game 1-1. Ethan Ball was hit by pitch. Treyson Hughes fouled out. Hudson Letterman reached on fielder’s choice, but UT couldn’t turn the double play. Owen Petrich flied out to RF. 1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 1 LOB.

Chris Newstrom flied out. Manny Marin popped out. Ariel Antigua reached on an infield single when he hit a grounder to the first baseman and beat the pitcher to the bag. Jay Abernathy walked to put two runners on base with two outs. Henry Ford singled through the middle to score Antigua from second and move Abernathy to third. Vols lead 1-0. Blaine Brown struck out to end the inning. 1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 2 LOB.

Anderson French struck out. Pete Daniel walked and advanced to 2B on a balk. Sam Gates lined out. Sam Grube grounded out, stranding a runner on 2B. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB.

Levi Clark smashed a long flyout to the CF warning track, traveling more than 400 feet. Reese Chapman struck out. Tyler Myatt struck out. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB.

UT starter Evan Blanco only needed 12 pitches to get through a 1-2-3 inning, including two strikeouts. Treyson Hughes struck out. Hudson Lutterman flied out. Owen Pettrich struck out. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB.

Bottom 1st inning: Tennessee 0, Virginia Tech

Jay Abernathy struck out. Henry Ford flied out. Blaine Brown struck out. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB.

Top 1st inning: Virginia Tech 0, Tennessee 0

UT starter Evan Blanco hit leadoff hitter Sam Grube with a pitch. Nic Locurto flied out to RF. Grube was thrown by stealing by catcher Levi Clark. Ethan Ball struck out. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB.

What channel is Tennessee baseball vs Virginia Tech on today?

TV channel: FloSports app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, etc.
Live stream: FloCollege streaming (for subscribers)

Tennessee baseball vs Virginia Tech time today

11:30 a.m. ET at Globe Life Field (Arlington, Texas)

Tennessee baseball vs Virginia Tech probable pitchers

Tennessee: LHP Evan Blanco (1-1, 2.00 ERA)
Virginia Tech: TBD

Tennessee in Amegy Bank College Baseball Series schedule

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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Tennessee

Tennessee senator with Iranian roots calls for diplomacy following U.S.-Israel attack on Iran

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee senator with Iranian roots calls for diplomacy following U.S.-Israel attack on Iran

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – A Tennessee state senator who is half-Iranian is calling on the Trump administration to pursue diplomacy and involve Congress following Saturday’s U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran.

State Sen. Raumesh Akbari(Action News 5)

State Sen. Raumesh Akbari, a Memphis Democrat who serves as Senate Minority Leader, said the strikes have stirred complicated emotions within the Persian-American community.

“My father came to Memphis to go to the University of Memphis in 1977 from Iran. It’s always been a country that I’ve heard beautiful things about, but I’ve certainly not been able to experience it because of the regime that’s in place,” Akbari said.

Akbari said Iranians have long been waiting for an end to the authoritarian dictatorship in the country, but the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has left questions about how Iran will stabilize in the aftermath of the attacks.

In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader,... — In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks to a group of people and officials in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 21, 2025.(Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

“There’s hope but there’s also fear. There’s excitement but there’s also this deep sense of anxiety. What will this look like? We’ve seen in other Middle Eastern countries when regimes are removed and there’s this terrible period of instability,” she said.

Akbari said she hopes she will one day be able to visit the country her father was born in.

“That’s literally the other half of my heritage, and I think for all Iranian Americans, for Iranians who have left Iran and come to America, they hope for a free Iran,” she said.

Persian American community(Action News 5)

Akbari urged the administration to proceed deliberately and avoid casualties among both American troops and Iranian civilians.

“There is a key difference between the Iranian governmental regime and the people of Iran,” she said. “Keeping their humanity in mind, making sure there’s proper aid, and also trying to mitigate any sort of civilian loss of life.”

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