Tennessee
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.
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.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – State Rep. Antonio Parkinson says Tennessee’s two blue cities, Memphis and Nashville, should break away and form their own state.
“I don’t think the state of Tennessee deserves a Memphis and Shelby County…or a Nashville, Davidson County,” Parkinson said on Action News 5’s A Better Memphis broadcast Friday.
Parkinson proposed creating a new state called West Tennessee, which would span from the eastern border of Nashville’s Davidson County to the Mississippi River.
“I’m not just talking about Memphis, I’m talking about the eastern border of Nashville, Davidson County and everything to the Mississippi River to create a new state called the new state of West Tennessee, the 51st state, West Tennessee,” Parkinson said.
Proposal follows new congressional map
Parkinson’s secession pitch follows the GOP supermajority approving a new congressional map Thursday that splits Shelby County into three districts, dismantling what was the state’s only majority-Black district.
“So this is about accountability. We’re paying all of this money, yet you remove our voice, so that is taxation without self-determination, taxation without actual representation,” Parkinson said.
Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton denies race was a factor when Republicans redrew the map.
“Look, at the end of the day we were able to draw a map based on population and based on politics, we did not use any racial data,” Sexton told Action News 5.
Sexton said Democrats did the same thing in the 1990s when they split Shelby County into three different congressional districts.
Secession requires state, federal approval
For Memphis to secede, it requires approval from the State of Tennessee and the U.S. Congress.
Parkinson said he’s willing to fight that uphill battle.
“Why should we stay in an abusive relationship where they’ve shown us the pattern over and over and over…where they do not see our value, and do not care about us,” Parkinson said.
This is not the first time Parkinson has suggested Memphis secede from Tennessee. He made the same call in 2018 after the Republican-controlled state legislature punished Memphis, cutting the city’s funding by $250,000, in retaliation for removing two Confederate statutes.
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SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, Tenn. — A state lawmaker who represents constituents on Signal Mountain is explaining why she chose not to vote yes or no on Tennessee’s controversial redistricting plan.
State Rep. Michele Reneau (R-Signal Mountain) voted “present not voting” as the House approved a new congressional map during a heated special session.
In a statement, Reneau says the decision reflected concerns about both the process and what happened inside the Capitol.
“I had serious concerns about the timing, process, and unintended consequences,” she said.
Reneau also pointed to the tone of the debate.
She said she did not want her vote to be seen as supporting “the messaging, tactics, or behavior being used by protesters throughout this week.”
Rep. Greg Vital of Hamilton County also voted ‘present.’
We have reached out to his office several times. We will share his explanation in this story if and when we hear back.
The redistricting plan, which has now passed both chambers and is headed to the governor’s desk, reshapes districts across the state, including breaking up the Memphis-based district.
The vote came amid protests, demonstrations and intense debate at the State Capitol.
Reneau says her vote was not about avoiding the issue.
“My vote was not a refusal to take the issue seriously,” she said. “It was a deliberate vote reflecting the complexity of the issue.”
The plan has sparked strong reactions across Tennessee.
Some Democrats have filed legal challenges to block the new map before the next election.
Others have raised concerns about representation, while some lawmakers have floated broader ideas, including changes to how regions are governed.
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The University of Tennessee, Knoxville will celebrate its biggest graduating class yet later this month.
The flagship campus of the University of Tennessee System announced Thursday that approximately 9,000 graduates will be honored across 10 commencement ceremonies from May 14-17.
Tennessee’s student population has grown significantly in recent years, with total enrollment topping 40,000 for the first time for the fall 2025 semester. In 2020, Tennessee’s enrollment was 30,000.
UT had a record-number of first-year applications from the class of 2029 with nearly 63,000 and received 5,300 transfer applications, the most ever.
Two new residents halls opened prior to the fall 2025 semester and the university plans to build new residence halls to replace North Carrick, South Carrick and Reese Hall. Following the recent demolition of Melrose Hall, a 116,000-square-foot student success is expected to open during the Fall 2027 semester.
Ceremonies will take place at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center with the exception of the College of Veterinary Medicine Ceremony, which will take place at the Alumni Memorial Building auditorium. Visit the commencement website for scheduling details, and parking information.
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