ACLU wants Gov. Bredesen veto on immigrants in jail legislation

ACLU wants Gov. Bredesen veto on immigrants in jail legislation

Posted:

NASHVILLE (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee is asking Gov. Phil Bredesen to veto a bill that would require the state's jailers to determine whether inmates are in the country illegally and report them if they are.

ACLU-TN Executive Director Hedy Weinberg said in a letter to Bredesen that the legislation would encourage racial profiling and create a "police state."

The governor has until next Monday to decide whether to sign the bill.

Bredesen spokeswoman Lydia Lenker said on Tuesday that Bredesen had not yet had a chance to study it.

Sponsors have said the bill is necessary because not all jurisdictions are sharing information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement when they arrest someone they suspect is illegally in the country.

On Friday, Bredesen allowed a resolution commending Arizona on that state's controversial new immigration law to be transmitted without his signature.

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