Memphis lawmaker wants to make safe havens from ICE

Rep. Gabby Salinas, a Memphis Democrat, has filed a bill that would make churches and schools safe havens from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

In the wake of an ICE-related shooting death, a Memphis lawmaker is proposing legislation that would make schools and churches safe havens from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

Democratic Rep. Gabby Salinas filed House Bill 1482 a day after a Minneapolis woman was shot by an ICE agent in her vehicle. The Trump administration said the shooting was justified because the agent was protecting himself and other ICE personnel.

Bystanders’ video posted online shows an officer standing in front of the Honda Pilot fire at the vehicle as it pulls forward after another agent approaches it and orders the driver to open the door and grabs the handle, according to an Associated Press report. The woman, 37-year-old Renee Good, was in Minneapolis as a neutral observer of ICE actions during protests of immigration enforcement following a mass deployment of ICE agents in the city.

Salinas’ bill would prohibit ICE personnel from going onto public school grounds and church properties without notice.

“No child or person should fear being abducted or risk having their family ripped apart when they leave their home,” Salinas said in a statement. “We are losing friends, neighbors, caretakers, and community members daily.”

Federal, state and local agencies, as well as the Tennessee National Guard, have been operating a Memphis Safe Task Force since September.

A researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Salinas moved to America from Bolivia with her family when she was 7, and she has often spoken about the welcome they received while obtaining citizenship through a bipartisan bill sponsored by U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, a Tennessee Republican.

Salinas pointed out incidents such as the Minneapolis shooting death show “how lawless and dangerous” ICE interactions with the public have become.

“Now is the time that we as Tennesseans come together and to reject fear and violence and recognize our shared humanity. We are all children of God,” she said.

Salinas is likely to run into hurdles from the Republican supermajority as she tries to pass this legislation.

House Republican leaders are considering whether to bring back a bill that would allow public schools to check the citizenship status of all students and either block enrollment or charge tuition.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton said he plans to roll out a package of immigration-related bills.

Asked about the safe haven bill from ICE, Sexton called it “a terrible idea.”