Tennessee legislation · 114th General Assembly
Tennessee SB1486: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 7; Title 38 and Title 41, relative to enforcement of immigration laws.
Status: Chaptered, May 26, 2026
Fiscal Summary NOT SIGNIFICANT Bill Summary Present law authorizes a law enforcement agency to negotiate the terms of an agreement between the law enforcement agency and the appropriate federal official under the 287(g) program, concerning the enforcement of federal immigration laws, without approval from the governing body of the local government that the agency serves. Any memorandum of agreement negotiated pursuant to the 287(g) program must meet all of the following criteria: Be entered into in accordance with federal law. Require that each officer employed by the law enforcement agency be trained in accordance with the memorandum of agreement concerning the officer's role in enforcing federal immigration laws, in accordance with the 287(g) program. Allow for the enforcement of federal immigration laws to the full extent permitted under federal law. This bill requires, on or after July 1, 2026, the law enforcement agency to accept and honor any immigration detainer received from federal immigration authorities. As used in this provision, "accept and honor" means to comply with the requested conditions in the immigration detainer and includes maintaining custody of the subject of an immigration detainer for 48 hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, beyond the time when the subject would have otherwise been released from the law enforcement agency's custody to allow federal immigration authorities to take custody of the subject and notifying federal immigration authorities as soon as possible prior to releasing the subject of the immigration detainer. ON APRIL 14, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1486, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #2 limits this bill's requirements for accepting and honoring immigration detainers to sheriffs' departments currently operating pursuant to m
What the bill says
From the amended text:
Senate Finance, Ways, and Means 1 Amendment No. 2 to SB1486 Watson Signature of Sponsor AMEND S e n ate Bill No. 1486* House Bill No. 2018 by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-68-105, is amended by adding the following new subsection: (d) A sheriff's department that is currently operating pursuant to a memorandum of agreement under an available federal 287(g) program must accept and honor any immigration detainer received from federal immigration authorities. As used in this subsection (d), "accept and honor" means to comply with the requested conditions in the immigration detainer and includes maintaining custody of the subject of an immigration detainer for forty-eight (48) hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, beyond the time when the subject would have otherwise been released from the sheriff's department's custody to allow federal immigration authorities to take custody of the subject and notifying federal immigration authorities as soon as possible prior to releasing the subject of the immigration detainer. SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it. SA0964