County Commission: Veto ban on sanctuary cities

The Shelby County Commission voted Monday to ask Gov. Bill Haslam to veto legislation that would ban sanctuary cities across Tennessee.

The Board of Commissioners voted 7-0, with six commissioners absent, to approve the resolution sponsored by Germantown Republican Mark Billingsley. Haslam has until May 5 to decide whether to veto the bill. If he doesn’t sign the bill, it still becomes law.

The state currently has no sanctuary cities or counties.

The bill approved Wednesday would take state Department of Economic and Community Development grants away from any cities with “sanctuary” policies that would interfere with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents’ work. The bill also requires local law enforcement officials to comply with detention requests.

The commission’s resolution says the legislation would create an “underclass” without “open access to police protection,” and would add to the financial burdens of local law enforcement agencies — including campus police. The legislation also “invites racial profiling by law enforcement,” according to the resolution.

“You’re literally looking at the color of someone’s skin,” Billingsley said.

County Chief Administrative Officer Harvey Kennedy said any financial impact of the legislation on the county would likely be insignificant — mostly in the form of overtime.

Reach Ryan Poe at poe@commercial appeal.com.