By AP
Nashville, TN – The Tennessee chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is asking Governor 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-Tennessee Executive Director Hedy Weinberg says 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 says Bredesen had not yet had a chance to study it. Sponsors say 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.