Urging Governor Lee Not to Have Sick Children Deported

June 18, 2026 Enewsletters Dear Friend, This week, with the House out of session, I wrote to Governor Bill Lee and urged him to abandon plans to identify sick immigrant children being treated under the state’s Children’s Special Services (CSS) program and their parents to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation under terms of a new cruel state law. I also condemned the partisan timing of a major voting rights case before the Supreme Court, wished everyone a nice Juneteenth federal holiday, announced substantial federal investments in research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), received 100 percent score for votes on labor issues from electrical workers, and offered a Friday Flashback, a Bill Day cartoon, and a weekly health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Bluesky , Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens. Urging Governor Lee Not to Have Sick Children Deported Condemning the Supreme Court's Partisan Timing of Release of a Major Voting Rights Case Celebrating Juneteenth Announcing $1.8 Million in NIH Grants to UTHSC Receiving 100 Percent on IBEW Legislative Scorecard The Friday Flashback A Bill Day Cartoon Weekly Health Tip Quote of the Week Urging Governor Lee Not to Have Sick Children Deported On Wednesday, I wrote to Governor Bill Lee to urge him to dispense with plans to have the Tennessee Department of Health report immigrant parents and their children who are on the Department’s Children’s Special Services (CSS) Program beyond June 30 to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation. A heartless measure passed by the super-majority Republican state legislature would jeopardize the health and safety of some of our most vulnerable children. I asked Lee to consider his legacy as a Christian and reverse this cruel plan. See my release and the letter here . Condemning the Supreme Court's Partisan Timing of Release of a Major Voting Rights Case As a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, I've long noted that the U.S. Supreme Court releases its opinions in major cases in June, at the end of the term, as it did today with three major rulings. The court's April 29 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, a major voting rights case, was an exception, and followed a successful referendum in Virginia that increased the number of Democratic-leaning districts in Congress. I have introduced Articles of Impeachment against Chief Justice John Roberts addressing that issue among others. Justice Roberts could have held to Supreme Court precedent and waited until this month to release the majority opinion in Louisiana v. Callais but elected to release it in April so state legislatures – including the one in Tennessee – could dilute Black voter representation through redistricting and improve the prospect that Republicans can retain control of the House in November. That’s what happened to my District in Memphis and it affects all majority-African-American districts. The partisan timing with Callais makes the court another wing of the Trump White House, not an independent branch of government, and should be roundly condemned. Justice Roberts’ conduct is impeachable and I am urging my colleagues to bring my Articles of Impeachment to the floor for a vote.” See my statement on today's rulings here . Celebrating Juneteenth Friday is Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Texas learned of their emancipation. I voted to make Juneteenth a national holiday in 2021, but I celebrated Juneteenth long before it became a federal holiday because it is such a major milestone in our national history. In 2019, as the chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, I held a hearing on Juneteenth on a bill to create a reparations commission. I was proud to cosponsor the measure making Juneteenth a federal holiday because it sends an important message about facing the sometimes-difficult truths of our history and finding a way to celebrate our journey as a country toward progress and freedom. I hope all find the holiday inspiring. Announcing $1.8 Million in NIH Grants to UTHSC On Tuesday, I announced that the University of Tennessee Heath Science Center (UTHSC) will receive two grants totaling $1,854,709 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). See details of the science these grants will underwrite here . Receiving 100 Percent on IBEW Legislative Scorecard Also Tuesday, I was notified that I have received 100 percent on the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Legislative Scorecard assessing my votes on ten measures important to organized labor dating back to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs (IIJA) Act of 2021. See my release on the endorsement here . The Friday Flashback This is my campaign T-shirt from 2014. A Bill Day Cartoon – “Gold Toilet” Weekly Health Tip Friday is World Sickle Cell Day, a time to raise awareness of a disease that is particularly devastating in Memphis and the Mid-South. I am always grateful for the organizations raising awareness of the disease and for the research institutions, such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) working on therapies and cures. Quote of the Week “On Sunday Donald Trump celebrated his 80 th birthday with a cage match on the White House lawn. The match and the events that surrounded it — especially the press conference with UFC fighters…, held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial — were a desecration of America’s capital, whose monuments and buildings have always endeavored to represent small-r republican virtues. The whole affair was an affront to the values on which this nation was founded and also unspeakably vulgar.” – Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman column “The Theory of the Vulgar Class” on Tuesday Have a wonderful Juneteenth tomorrow and happy Father’s Day on Sunday. As always, I remain… Sincerely, Steve Cohen Member of Congress