Tennessee immigration bill sparks nonprofit concerns over unintended impacts on vulnerable US citizens

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee lawmakers are considering legislation that would require state and local governments to verify U.S. citizenship before distributing taxpayer-funded benefits, prompting concerns from local healthcare nonprofits.

House Bill 1710 is one of nine immigration-related bills crafted by Tennessee Republicans and the Trump administration currently under review on Tennessee’s Capitol Hill.

The bill requires state and local entities, including health departments, to verify the lawful presence of anyone 18 or older applying for public benefits. It also mandates reporting undocumented immigrants to the centralized immigration enforcement division of the state’s Department of Safety. Under the proposed legislation, failing to report is a Class A misdemeanor, and the state attorney general could withhold taxpayer funds from non-compliant groups.

“House Bill 1710 requires all Tennessee state and local governments to verify U.S. citizenship or lawful presence before giving out taxpayer funded benefits,” Rep. Dennis Powers, R-Jacksboro, said during debate on the bill. “They do have to verify whether they’re here legally before they receive benefits, if it’s a non-emergency situation.”

Neighborhood Health, a nonprofit operating 12 clinics across Middle Tennessee, provides care regardless of a patient’s insurance status. “We want everyone in Nashville and Middle Tennessee to have access to medical, dental and behavioral healthcare services,” said Brian Haile, CEO of Neighborhood Health.

Haile worries the bill, while targeting undocumented immigrants, will unintentionally impact U.S. citizens who cannot locate their paperwork. “There are a lot of potential unintended consequences and hidden costs to this legislation,” Haile said. “We’re really grateful when we get a full legal name and a birthday, but getting a social security number, much less a birth certificate or a passport, that’s not going to happen.”

Citizens unable to produce the required documentation could be classified as undocumented, even if they were born in the U.S. “I think this will disproportionately hurt citizens who are homeless, those in domestic violence shelters, those who are being human trafficked, even veterans on the street may not have this paperwork,” Haile said.

Nonprofits like Neighborhood Health could lose the state and local funding they rely on to operate. “If we don’t have funding to provide the care, how do we keep the doors open?” Haile said.

Haile became especially concerned last week when Powers filed an additional amendment that would have expanded the scope of the bill to impact even more nonprofits dealing with people who may be undocumented. A spokesperson for Powers said there are no plans to attach that lengthy amendment to the bill this session.

Powers was unavailable for an interview Monday but provided a statement regarding the legislation. “Tennessee taxpayers and families deserve confidence that public benefits funded by their hard-earned tax dollars go only to eligible Tennesseans,” Powers said. “By strengthening accountability, enforcement and privacy protections, this legislation protects our state and communities.”

The bill is scheduled to be debated Tuesday in a House committee. The Senate version is slightly different, so those differences will have to be reconciled in order for the bill to become law. If passed, the primary requirements of the legislation would take effect July 1, 2026.

Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.