Tennessee to test Stephen Miller’s plan of enlisting states for immigration enforcement

Stephen Miller, deputy White House chief of staff for policy, speaks to members of the media outside the White House on 6 October 2025. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

The power to enforce immigration law rests with the federal government. But Trump adviser, Stephen Miller, has a vision for states working in coordination with federal immigration officials, and he’s attempting to test it out in Tennessee.

Earlier this month, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported that Miller had been meeting in Washington DC with Tennessee speaker of the house, Cameron Sexton, to craft model legislation for states around the country.