State lawmakers in Tennessee are aiming to hold charities responsible for any crimes committed by illegal immigrants they have provided shelter to.

The legislation, House Bill 811, reads, “A charitable organization that provides housing to a person who a charitable organization knows is unlawfully present in the United States may be held liable for a loss, damages, injury, or death resulting from a criminal offense committed by the person who is unlawfully present in the United States while the person is receiving housing services from the charitable organization.”  The legislation explains organizations would be held accountable if their “conduct in providing housing constitutes negligence, gross negligence, or willful and wanton misconduct.”

The legislation comes as religious charities have been in the spotlight for their work helping migrants who are in the country illegally while, in some cases, receiving significant sums from the federal government.

One of the sponsors of the legislation, a state senator, Brent Taylor, posted on X that the bill was passed by the Tennessee Senate’s Judiciary Committee. He explained that the bill allows “individuals harmed by illegal aliens—like those causing car accidents without insurance—to sue the NGOs assisting with long-term housing to those aliens.”

“Victims of illegal immigration deserve the ability to recoup their costs,” he said. 

Republicans in Tennessee have a supermajority in the state legislature, giving conservatives great sway in the Volunteer State.

A state representative who supports the bill, Rusty Grills, told the Nashville news station WZTV, “The intention of this bill is not to incriminate those who provide temporary housing for a homeless shelter.”

“It’s to deter criminal activity,” he said. 

The legislation has received criticism from some Tennessee charities, including Christian charities. A senior pastor at the Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church at Nashville, Reverend Enoch Fuzz, told WZTV, “You can’t hold anybody liable for the actions of somebody except for the person themselves.”

Reporters asked Mr. Fuzz if he would promise to house illegal immigrants, to which he responded, “I pledge to help people, and I’ve lived my whole life anchored in wanting to help people.”

When asked what happens if migrants commit crimes, the pastor asked, “Well, what if anybody goes out to commit a crime?”

Meanwhile, the vice president for development and marketing of the Nashville Rescue Mission, Sam Siple, told WZTV that the organization does not intend to be a “sanctuary city, but we are a sanctuary for folks who are looking to get off the dangers of the streets and get some help, get some hope, get some food, get some shelter. So, our goal is again to help and provide Human Services. It’s not to enforce immigration.”

Republicans in state and federal offices are looking to crack down on nonprofit organizations they say are improperly helping illegal immigrants skirt immigration laws. Several religious organizations have come under scrutiny for their tax-exempt status while they have been accused of helping illegal immigrants enter the country illegally. 

In February 2024, the Arizona group Tucson Samaritans, part of the Southside Presbyterian Church, was accused of helping migrants enter the country illegally after a video appeared to show one volunteer with the group holding up a section of border fence to let migrants enter the country. Tucson Samaritans insist the video is a “misrepresentation of events.”

In February 2025, the outreach ministry for the conservative Presbyterian Church of America was criticized after it shared guidance to help illegal immigrants avoid deportation. The leaders of the organization later said they “repent and apologize” for the guidance and deleted it. 

Catholic charities have also come under fire after some of their organizations were caught providing similar guidance. According to City Journal, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and its “affiliate organizations” that help to resettle refugees received $122.6 million from the federal government in 2022. 

Republicans in Congress are proposing bills to discourage nonprofits from helping illegal immigrants. Senator Hagerty introduced a bill that would strip charities of their tax-exempt status if they aided illegal immigrants.