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Tennessee lawmakers voted to advance a bill Wednesday that would allow public schools to check students’ immigration status and charge tuition to students who cannot provide proof that they are in the country legally.

The legislation aims to provoke a challenge to a 1982 Supreme Court decision that guarantees free public education for students regardless of immigration status. The lead House sponsor is Republican Rep. William Lamberth of Portland.

After a tense debate, the House Education Committee voted 11-7 to clear the bill, bringing it a step closer to a floor vote. The language of the bill also changed to align more with its companion bill in the Senate.

If passed, the legislation would give public schools and public charter schools the option to ask students for documents showing that they are U.S. citizens or legal residents, or are in the process of obtaining citizenship. If a student cannot provide this documentation, then the districts could charge the family tuition for enrollment, in addition to whatever taxes the family is paying to help fund public schools.

Washington (March 28, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), today led over 30 lawmakers in writing to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Acting Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons, demanding information about the arrest and detention of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk and similar incidents across the country.

“The Administration should not summarily detain and deport legal residents of this country merely for expressing their political views. Absent compelling evidence justifying her detention and the revocation of her status, we call for Ozturk’s release and the restoration of her visa,” wrote the lawmakers.