Since Trump’s return to the White House, states like California and Minnesota have made headlines for resisting the president’s immigration agenda. Republican leaders in Tennessee, spurred on by cases like Carney’s, want the Volunteer State to be different.
“We have what I refer to as kind of a once in a generation opportunity, given the Trump administration’s emphasis on removing illegal immigrants and mass deportation,” Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson told The Daily Wire.
“When we look at states like Michigan, New York, and California, others that are literally fighting the Trump administration on those efforts, we wanted to send a very clear message that we were not only going to cooperate, but do everything we could to help make them successful in their efforts in Tennessee,” he added.
Johnson, alongside other state Republican leaders like House Speaker Cameron Sexton and House Majority Leader William Lamberth, introduced an immigration package at the beginning of the 2026 legislative session focused on reducing illegal immigration.
The legislative package, crafted with input from White House officials, includes bills that would make illegal immigration a crime in Tennessee; mandate legal status for public employees and citizenship verification for those who receive public benefits; protect ICE agents from being doxed; and increase cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials.
Sexton says he had discussions with the White House after they began collaborating on a project to clean up crime in Memphis. He praised federal officials for their input on the legislative package and said they viewed Tennessee “as being the beacon of showing other states how to do something comprehensive and really transform your state.”
The White House said that it was happy to speak with all state lawmakers about how to fight illegal immigration.
“Illegal aliens should not be receiving federal welfare benefits while hardworking Americans foot the bill,” a White House official told The Daily Wire. “The President’s entire Intergovernmental Affairs team has been willing to speak with state legislators seeking advice on how to effectively enact the President’s agenda and protect the American people from fraud and abuse perpetrated by illegal aliens.”
