NASHVILLE, Tennessee — A judge has issued a temporary order preventing the Tennessee Department of Health from turning over personal information about approximately 400 seriously ill and disabled immigrant children to federal immigration authorities.
The restraining order came down Wednesday, prompted by a lawsuit filed by three Nashville physicians who treat some of those children. The doctors took legal action after state officials mailed letters to healthcare providers and immigrant families, warning them that a newly enacted law would require the state to share identifying details about those enrolled in the program once June ended.
The law is one of several bills pushed through by Tennessee Republicans this year in support of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts.
A spokesperson for the state attorney general’s office said Thursday that officials had no comment on the lawsuit and that the complaint was still under review. The state has not yet filed a formal response in court.
“This is an impossible choice for mothers, and it risks the lives and the dignity of these children,” said Michele Johnson, executive director of the Tennessee Justice Center, which brought the lawsuit on behalf of the doctors.
Johnson added that her organization has been advising affected families to remain enrolled in the program while the matter is being decided by the court. A hearing has been set for July 2 in Nashville.
The program at the center of the dispute, called Children’s Special Services, has existed for decades and receives partial federal funding. It helps cover medical expenses for children with serious conditions including cancer, cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, and diabetes.
The letters sent to families stated that, because of their immigration status, they would be reported to the immigration division of the Tennessee Department of Safety if they chose to stay enrolled in the program.
The new law requires government agencies to verify the legal status of residents before providing public benefits. It is part of a broader series of legislation in recent years aimed at limiting immigrants’ ability to work, obtain licenses, access free public schooling, and use other public services.
“We’re going to do what we can to make sure that if you’re here illegally, we will have the data, we’ll have the transparency, and we’re not spending taxpayer dollars on you unless you’re in jail,” House Speaker Cameron Sexton said back in January.
The three doctors behind the lawsuit all work at Siloam Health clinics, which provide care to uninsured and underserved patients. In sworn statements, they said some of their patients feared they would be unable to get critical medical treatment for their children as a result of the law.
One doctor noted that some families who received the warning letters are not in the country illegally but simply live in households with mixed immigration status. Some of those families have already left the program or were planning to do so out of fear of being reported to immigration officials.
The lawsuit contends that enforcing the new rule would interfere with the doctors’ ability to provide care to their patients.
“The harm will be irreparable if the court didn’t intervene,” Johnson said.
