Tennessee House Bill HB2249

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/2/26
• Refer: 2/5/26
• Failed: 3/17/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 33; Title 38; Title 52; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to the bureau of immigration and customs enforcement.

Summary

HB2249 would prohibit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from entering into and conducting law enforcement activities in certain locations in Tennessee. The covered locations are healthcare facilities, physicians’ offices, and shelters, with shelters defined to include nonprofit facilities serving people experiencing homelessness and survivors of domestic violence. The bill is framed as an amendment to multiple titles of the Tennessee Code, but its operative effect is a targeted restriction on ICE activity in these sensitive settings. In practical terms, the bill would create a state-law limitation on federal immigration enforcement operations at hospitals, medical offices, and shelters. It would not appear to change the underlying authority of ICE under federal law, but it would direct that these facilities be off-limits for law enforcement activities by the agency within Tennessee. The measure would therefore affect healthcare providers, shelter operators, and potentially law enforcement coordination at facilities serving vulnerable populations.

Impact

The bill would add a new section to Title 38 of the Tennessee Code and would establish a state prohibition on ICE conducting law enforcement activities in healthcare facilities, physicians’ offices, and shelters. Its impact would be to create a statutory protection for certain sensitive locations, especially those serving patients, people experiencing homelessness, and domestic violence survivors. Because the bill references multiple titles in its caption, it is positioned as a broader statutory amendment, but the substantive change is narrowly focused on immigration enforcement access to specified facilities.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill faced significant resistance in committee, as it failed in the House Departments & Agencies Subcommittee by a vote of 2 yeas to 5 nays. No committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to indicate support arguments in detail. Based on the vote, the general sentiment appears unfavorable in the subcommittee, with a majority of members opposed to advancing the measure.

Contention

The main point of contention is the bill’s restriction on ICE operations, which likely raised concerns about limiting immigration enforcement and creating a state-level barrier to federal activity. Supporters would likely view the bill as protecting vulnerable people in hospitals, medical offices, and shelters from enforcement actions that could deter them from seeking care or safety. Opponents, reflected in the failed subcommittee vote, likely objected to the scope of the restriction, its effect on cooperation with federal authorities, or the policy implications of designating these locations as enforcement-free zones.