Educators from Memphis to Knoxville Demanded Legislators Vote Against HB793 & HB1711

TIRRC Votes Press

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TODAY, March 4, 2026

Educators from Memphis to Knoxville Demanded Legislators Vote Against HB793 & HB1711

"Every child, regardless of immigration status, deserves to feel safe and cherished at school, no exception!”


NASHVILLE—After HB793 passed in the House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee, with all Republicans voting in support of the bill, educators from Memphis to Knoxville joined TIRRC Votes to demand legislators vote against HB1711 and HB793. HB1711 would require government agencies, including hospitals, to report the immigration status of those who use their services. HB793 was amended today to require K-12 schools collect and report information on student immigration status.

Selah Torralba, TIRRC Votes Advocacy Manager opened the press conference saying, “The reality is that those two bills are just part of a larger anti-immigrant agenda that aims to make Tennessee a hostile state for immigrant families. And no matter how you amend these bills, they are cruel, discriminatory, and a violation of privacy meant to scare the immigrant community and violate all of our rights."

Betsy Hobkirk, an Educator from Knoxville, shared, "I believe these bills are wolves in sheep's clothing. These bills are not benign data collection like they would want us to believe.” She continued by highlighting the cost of these bills on schools and communities, “I’ve heard from representatives that this is about saving money, but the reality is implementing this kind of tracking is expensive in and of itself, let alone the fact that these bills make no mention of the economic contributions that immigrants, regardless of their documentation status, make to the state. Undocumented immigrants in Tennessee contribute significantly to our economy. According to the American Immigration Council, they pay over $4.4 billion in federal, state and local taxes and hold $13.7 billion in spending power. And according to a recent Immigration Research Initiative report, Knox County alone would need to hire 56 additional staff members to collect and manage proof-of-citizenship data for roughly 58,000 students—at a cost of approximately $3.3 million. Tennessee ranks 44th nationally in per-pupil spending. Diverting education dollars toward administrative tracking does not strengthen our schools."

Katherine Bike, Knox County School Board Member representing District 4, who also testified against HB793 in the morning’s House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee, read from the Knox County School Board Legislative Priorities, that include asking the State Legislature to not pass any unfunded mandates. “The Knox County Board of Education urges the General Assembly to oppose any proposals requiring school districts to collect or monitor students' immigration status as these proposals create legal risks, add administrative burdens, and distract from teaching and learning. The Board affirms the Tennessee Constitution and Supreme Court rulings guaranteeing a free public education for all children in Tennessee and opposes any measure that excludes or seeks to exclude any child from our schools.”


Ally Dorsey, a teacher in Chattanooga, shared how she helps with the enrollment process and spoke to the harms these bills would have on family and student trust. “Families share this personal information, trusting it will be used only for educational purposes and knowing it’s protected. Schools cannot function without trust between families and educators. If parents believe the information they provide will be given to immigration enforcement, that trust is compromised. When trust erodes, families hesitate to enroll their children, directly undermining access to education and safe learning environments.”

Noah Nordstrom, a teacher in Memphis, also spoke against the bills addressing the additional administrative burden to schools by saying, “This bill would add a gigantic financial and administrative burden to our public schools that is going to make it much more difficult than it already is. Many government agencies, including school districts, are already struggling with massive amounts of bureaucracy.” He also spoke to the morality of bills that harm immigrant children, quoting Matthew 25:40. “"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

BACKGROUND

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TIRRC Votes was launched in 2018 to strengthen and expand our democracy by building power in immigrant and refugee communities and advocating for equitable and inclusive public policy. One of the leading organizations in Tennessee capable of building a new electorate and mobilizing the state's progressive base voters, they are a model for effective, immigrant-led political organizations in the Southeast. Outside of elections, TIRRC Votes is leading the way at the local and state level in policy advocacy, defeating dozens of anti-immigrant and anti-refugee bills each year at the state legislature and casting a new narrative about who gets to be a Tennessean. TIRRC Votes is affiliated with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC).


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