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Tennessee

Summary Demographic State Data (and Source)
Population (2008 CB est.):	6,214,888
Population (2000 Census):	5,689,283
Foreign-Born Population (2008 FAIR est.):	268,475
Foreign-Born Population (2000 Census):	159,004
Share Foreign-Born (2008 FAIR est.):	4.3%
Share Foreign-Born (2000):	2.8%
Immigrant Stock (2000 CB est.):	232,000
Share Immigrant Stock (2000 est.):	4.1%
Naturalized U.S. Citizens (2000 Census):	53,185
Share Naturalized (2000):	33.4%
Legal Immigrant Admission (INS 1993-2002):	42,210
Refugee Admission (2001 HHS):	924
Illegal Alien Population (2008 FAIR est.):	110,000
Cost of Illegal Aliens (2007 FAIR):	$283,000,000
Projected 2050 Population - (2006 FAIR):	8,451,765

Tennessee: Extended Immigration Data

STATE POPULATION

Using the Current Population Survey, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that in July 2008 Tennessee’s population had increased to 6,214,888 residents, i.e., an annual average increase of about 63,325 residents since 2000. That is a rate of increase of about 1.1 percent per year.

Net International Migration (NIM)

Based on the Current Population Survey, the Census Bureau estimated that between the 2000 Census and July 2008 the state’s population increased by about 61,960 residents from net international migration (more foreign-born arriving than leaving). That was an annual average increase of about 7,465 residents, i.e., more than one-ninth (11.8%) of the total increase (not including the children born to the immigrants after their arrival in the United States).

The 2000 Census found 5,689,283 persons resident in Tennessee. This was an increase of 812,098 persons above the 1990 Census (16.7%). The amount of increase was the 12^th highest in the country. The rate of increase was the 14^th fastest increasing population in the country.

The 2000 population is about 32,000 more persons than the Census Bureau had expected to find in the state in 2000 when it issued its most recent state population projections in 1996. The significance of this is that the Census Bureau has concluded that much of the shortfall in their population estimates during the 1990s was due to an underestimation of the illegal alien population.

Between 1980 and 1990 Tennessee's overall population increased by 6.2 percent (from 4,591,023 to 4,877,185).

FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION

Based on the American Community Survey (ACS), the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the foreign-born population of Tennessee was 241,107 persons in 2006. The ACS is a large-scale, continuous sampling process designed to replace the need for a long-form in the 2010 Census. However, because the ACS does not have the same follow-up procedures as the Census to include non-respondents, it may underestimate the foreign-born population.

FAIR estimates that the foreign-born population of Tennessee was about 268,475 residents in July 2008. This meant a foreign-born population share of 4.3 percent. The amount of change since the 2000 Census indicates an average annual rate of increase in the foreign-born population of about 13,190 people, which is more than one-fifth (20.8%) of the state’s annual average population increase. Since 2000, the foreign-born population has increased by 68.8 percent compared to a 7.5 percent increase in the native-born population.

Immigration also contributes to population growth through the children born to immigrants in this country. Nationally the share of births to the foreign-born is about double their share of the population. An 8.6 percent share of the state’s current births is large enough to account for about 6,935 births a year. Combining the increase in the foreign-born population and estimated immigrant births suggests that immigration may account for nearly 20,125 persons added to the state’s population annually, i.e., more than three-tenths (31.8%) of the state’s overall population increase.

Tennessee ranked 4th nationally in the rate of foreign-born change between 1960-2000.  The 2000 Census found that 57.7 percent of Tennessee's foreign-born population had arrived in the state since 1990. This demonstrates the effects of the current mass immigration, and it is a much higher share than the national average (43.7%).

An indicator of the change in the immigrant population may be seen in data on the share of the population that speaks a language other than English at home. Between 1990 and 2000 the share of non-English speakers at home in Tennessee increased from 2.9 percent to 4.8 percent. Less than half (42.2%) of those who said they spoke a language other than English at home in 2000 also said they spoke English less than very well.

Speakers of Foreign Languages (at home in Tennessee in the 2000 Census)
Spanish	133,930
German	20,210
French	17,360
Vietnamese	6,625
Korean	6,550
Arabic	6,480
Chinese	6,290
Laotian	4,495
Japanese	4,425
Tagalog	3,385
(Source: Census Bureau report: Language Spoken at Home for the Population 5 Years and Over, April 2004)

Another indicator of the change in the immigrant population is data on the share of the population that speaks a language other than English at home. Between 1990 and 2000 the share of non-English speakers at home in Tennessee increased by nearly two-thirds, from 2.9 percent to 4.8 percent.

From 1960 to 1990, Tennessee's foreign-born population more than tripled from 15,843 to 59,114. Between 1980-1990, the foreign-born share of the population increased by 22.2 percent (from 48,369 to 59,114).

Foreign-Born Change Since 1980: Top Ten Countries 1980-2000
Rank	Country	1980		Country	1990		Country	2000
1	Germany	6,454		Germany	6,458		Mexico	44,682
2	U.K.	3,923		U.K.	4,201		Germany	8,316
3	Canada	3,197		Canada	4,087		India	7,701
4	Korea	1,978		India	3,283		Canada	6,981
5	Sov.Un.	1,632		Korea	2,965		China *	6,141
6	India	1,602		Japan	2,577		Korea	6,106
7	Japan	1,473		Philip.	2,209		Vietnam	5,949
8	Philip.	1,251		Laos	2,133		U.K.	5,726
9	Iran	1,163		Mexico	1,972		Philip.	4,078
10	Vietnam	1,102		China	1,740		Laos	3,669
	All Others	24,594		All Other	27,489		All Others	59,655
	Total	48,369		Total	59,114		Total	159,004

* 2000 Census data for China include Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The ten countries above constituted more than three-fifths (62.5%) of the foreign-born population in Tennessee in 2000. Persons born in Mexico alone accounted for more than one-quarter (27.3%) of the total foreign-born population. Compared to the 34,063 Mexican-born residents from the 2000 Census who said they entered the United States between 1990-2000, INS data (see below) indicate that the total number of legal Mexican immigrants who listed Tennessee as their intended residence during that period numbered fewer than 3,300 persons.

Nearly 40 percent of Tennessee's foreign-born population in 1990 had arrived since 1980.

The Census Bureau estimated from its American Community Survey that in 2002 the foreign-born population of Tennessee was about 186,000 persons. The chart below shows the regions from which those foreign residents came.

IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE DATA

(Click here for data on immigrant settlement.)

THE IMMIGRANT STOCK

The Census Bureau estimated that there were about 232,000 people in Tennessee in 1997 who were "immigrant stock." That is a term that refers to immigrants and their children born here after their arrival. Based on that estimate, and a population of 5,689,283 the immigrant stock share of the state's population was 4.1 percent.

As the graph below shows, the amount and share of Tennessee’s population change due to the increase in the foreign stock is rising rapidly. Over the past 34 years the new immigrants and children born to them have added about 222,200 people to the population. Over this period, the increase in the foreign stock has accounted for 11.3 percent of the state’s population increase.

NATURALIZATION

Data from the 2000 Census recorded Tennessee's naturalized population at 53,185. That was a naturalization rate of 33.4 percent, one of the lowest rates in the country, and much lower than the national average of 40.1 percent. The plunge in the rate of naturalization (see 1990 data below) indicates a rapidly increasing foreign-born population, including illegal immigrants.

Data from the 1990 Census showed that 45 percent of Tennessee's 59,114 foreign-born residents had become naturalized U.S. citizens. This was higher than the national average (40.3%).

REFUGEE SETTLEMENT

Tenessee has received over 7,000 refugees over the most recent six fiscal years (FY'96-'01) for permanent resettlement (924 in FY'01). The average has been over 1,175 refugees per year.

Under the Office of Refugee Resettlement's (HHS) assistance funding for FY'02 $763,212 is available for refugee employment training and other services programs in Tennessee based on a three-year refugee settlement program covering 3,041 refugees (an average of $251 per refugee). This allocation does not include a larger share (55%) of funding programs for communities heavily affected by recent Cuban and Haitian entrants, communities with refugees whose cultural differences make assimilation especially difficult, communities impacted by federal welfare reform changes, educational support to schools with significant refugee students, and discretionary grants.

LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY STUDENTS

Data are not available nationally on immigrant students (either legally or illegally resident in the United States) who are enrolled in primary and secondary schools (K-12). However, many of these students are enrolled in Limited English Proficiency/English Language Learning (LEP/ELL) instruction programs. Many may be U.S.-born, but the majority of these students may be assumed to be either immigrants or the children of immigrants, with the exception being areas with native Americans who speak a native language other than English.

In Tennessee, overall enrollment in 2002 (938,162) was 3.9 percent below enrollment in 1993. By contrast, LEP enrollment (12,422 - 1.3% of all enrollment) was 348 percent higher than a decade earlier.

Data on enrollment in LEP/ELL programs are collected by the federal government from school systems that receive Title VII funds for these special instruction programs. The data on LEP/ELL enrollment are understated because data from private schools that do not apply for Title VII assistance are sketchy.

FOREIGN STUDENTS

The 2004/05 annual report of the Institute of International Education (IIE) lists the number of foreign students attending post-secondary school in Tennessee as 5,767.  Below, a chart illustrates the sharp increase of foreign students attending school in Tennessee from 1960-2000.

For information on foreign student issues see: Foreign Students in the United States.

OTHER

The metropolitan area with the largest number of immigrants is Memphis, with about 14,000 (or about 1.4% of its population. The metropolitan area with the highest concentration of foreign- born residents is Clarksville-Hopkinsville--its 5,000 immigrants represent about 2.8% of its population. Knoxville has an immigrant population of about 8,000, or about 1.3% of its population.

The Nashville metropolitan area was rated by ReliaStar Financial Corp. in 1998 as the No. 28 city in the US (out of 100) "to Earn and Save Money." Our analysis of the ReliaStar ratings shows that the highest ranked cities have slower growing immigrant populations than the lowest ranked cities. The Nashville metropolitan area had a 1.8 percent foreign-born share in 1990 (compared to the national average of 7.9%) and 6.9 percent of its 115,000 population increase (1990-97) was due to net international immigration (compared to the national average of 30%).

In 1995, 75 Tennessee farmers legally hired 387 foreign workers through the Labor Department's foreign temporary worker (H-2A) program, up from 60 farmers taking in 287 workers in FY94. These workers are not supposed to be admitted for work unless the employer attests that there are no American workers with the appropriate skills available to take the jobs. Davidson County, Tennessee surrounding Nashville, has a 3% unemployment rate.
(Source: Nashville Banner, December 9, 1996)

ILLEGAL ALIENS

FAIR estimates the state’s illegal alien population as of 2008 is as many as 110,000 persons. This is part of an overall estimate of the U.S. illegal alien population of about 13 million persons.

The INS estimated in February 2003 that there were about 46,000 illegal aliens resident in Tennessee as of January 2000. That was more than triple the previous INS estimate that in October 1996 there were about 13,000 illegal aliens residing in Tennessee. The latter estimate was over a third (37%) higher than the INS estimate for October 1992 (9,500).

Tennessee has received partial compensation under the federal State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) that was established in 1994 to compensate the states and local jurisdictions for incarceration of "undocumented," aliens who are serving time for a felony conviction or at least two misdemeanors.

The recent SCAAP amounts that Tennessee has received were:

The amount of SCAAP awards has been declining in both total distributions and even more as a share of the state’s expenses. In FY’99 the state received 38.6% of its costs for 45 prisoner years of detention. By FY’02, the state’s reported illegal alien detention rose more than three-fold to 138 prisoner years, while compensation rose by 10 percent.

MEDICAL COSTS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS

Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, hospitals with emergency rooms are required to treat and stabilize patients with emergency medical needs regardless whether or not they are in the country legally or whether they are able to pay for the treatment. Congress in 2003 enacted an appropriation of $250 million per year (for 4 years) to help offset some of the costs due to use of this service by illegal aliens. This amount has been allocated among the states based upon estimates of the illegal alien population and data on the apprehension of illegal aliens in each state. This amount compensates only a fraction of the medical outlays. For Tennessee, the proposed payment in fiscal year 2004 is $1,096,958.

STATE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VOTING RECORD

You can view the voting record of your representatives in Congress regarding immigration issues in our voting report section.

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

You can view a listing of local immigration reform groups here.

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Tennessee: Immigrant Admissions

Tennessee Immigrant Admissions by Fiscal Year
1997	4,357
1998	2,806
1999	2,584
2000	4,882
2001	6,257
2002	5,694
2003	3,367
2004	5,620
2005	8,962
2006	10,042
Total	54,571

 

Recent immigrant admissions have increased by about 616 percent since adoption of the current immigration system in 1965. During the 1965-'69 period, annual admissions averaged about 940 immigrants. During the 2002-'06 period, admissions averaged about 6,735 immigrants.

The charts below show recent immigrant admissions and the cumulative INS immigrant admissions data since 1965. The number of annual admissions has ranged from 657 in FY'65 to 10,042 in FY'06. The cumulative total of admissions to Tennessee between fiscal years 1965 and 2006 was 122,475 immigrants.

The data for fiscal years 1989-91 were artificially raised slightly by the inclusion of former illegal aliens who were amnestied in 1986. According to INS data (1991) the number of amnesty applicants from Tennessee was 2,356 (1,157 pre-1982 residents and 1,199 agricultural workers).

The data for FY'95, and FY'97-'99 were artificially low because the INS did not issue green cards to all the eligible applicants for adjustment of status who were already in the United States. In those four years, new immigration could have registered as much as 30 percent higher, if the INS had kept up with its workload.

Beginning with FY'01, the INS began to increase admissions as a result of reducing the size of the backlog of Section 245(i) adjustment of status cases, i.e., amnesty, for illegal aliens.

INS DATA BY NATIONALITY: FY'93 - FY'02

The INS data below are furnished for nationals of the countries with the largest number of immigrants admitted or adjusted to legal residence each year since 1993. The absence of data means that the total number of admissions to the United States by nationals of that country was not enough to merit detailed reporting in that year.

The nationalities may change each year, so the totals in some cases will not reflect all the immigrants of that nationality who have become legal immigrants in Tennessee during this period.

Immigrant Admissions by Fiscal Year
Country	FY'93	FY'94	FY'95	FY'96	FY'97	FY'98	FY'99	FY'00	FY'01	FY'02	Total
Bangladesh	-	-	-	19	31	25	12	32	-	11	130
Canada	282	177	123	198	221	96	90	155	279	198	1,819
China *	589	360	210	280	260	190	154	377	343	364	3,127
Colombia	14	12	14	24	23	30	9	41	64	52	283
Cuba	2	3	3	30	119	43	30	36	58	87	411
Dom. Rep.	3	9	9	3	11	9	7	18	14	14	97
Ecuador	1	-	5	12	8	4	6	5	14	18	73
El Salvador	17	11	11	13	13	4	22	31	39	43	204
Germany	116	99	59	-	80	54	53	74	102	116	753
Guatemala	16	10	12	21	20	29	20	54	39	92	344
Guyana	4	15	13	12	6	7	4	2	-	6	69
Haiti	4	0	101	98	12	8	2	6	9	26	266
Honduras	14	-	-	-	15	15	6	17	-	38	105
India	332	290	310	384	366	291	218	352	444	426	3,403
Iran	90	79	58	104	72	56	57	93	88	111	808
Ireland	35	45	-	-	5	4	6	8	-	5	108
Jamaica	11	11	13	17	13	19	14	26	14	18	156
Japan	-	64	-	-	43	38	29	79	103	58	414
Korea	115	95	72	96	73	72	69	127	120	111	950
Mexico	125	122	88	261	347	300	317	504	703	791	3,558
Nicaragua	-	-	-	-	3	4	11	20	34	27	99
Nigeria	-	-	42	74	68	79	47	60	-	86	456
Pakistan	53	55	38	49	65	38	34	55	94	54	535
Peru	13	26	12	27	25	15	10	18	36	47	229
Philippines	177	144	119	175	150	60	96	364	388	219	1,892
Poland	42	31	25	41	19	13	11	15	30	13	240
Sov. Un. *	217	166	147	129	232	175	158	239	295	347	2,105
Trin.& Tob.	-	11	-	-	6	11	8	34	-	14	84
U. Kingdom	190	127	107	161	115	88	64	115	172	148	1,287
Vietnam	457	354	354	400	383	118	100	148	343	249	2,906
Yugo. *	-	-	113	114	158	28	46	215	309	392	1,375
Other	1,368	1,292	1,334	1,601	1,405	883	874	1,562	2,123	1,513	13,955
Total	4,287	3,608	3,392	4,343	4,357	2,806	2,584	4,882	6,257	5,694	42,210

A dash (-) indicates that the data for that year were not published for that country in the INS Statistical Yearbook.
* China data include Hong Kong and Taiwan. Former USSR data continued since break-up (except FY'96-'97 and ‘01 include only Russia and Ukraine). Former Yugoslavia data continued since break-up.

The 31 nationalities above represent more than two-thirds (66.9%) of all immigrant settlement and adjustment in Tennessee during this ten-year period. The largest sources of the new immigrants (Mexico, India, China, Vietnam, and former Soviet Union) together account for more than one-third (38.2%) of the ten-year total.

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Tennessee: Poll Data

• 74% think U.S. immigration policies are too open. (Middle Tennessee State University, Nov. 2002)

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Tennessee: Immigration Impact

State Population (2006 CB estimate)	6,038,803
State Population in 2000	5,703,299
Average Annual Change 2000-2006	1.0%
Foreign Born Population 2006 1	210,635
Foreign Born Share 2006	3.5%
Foreign Born Population 2000	159,004
Foreign Born Share 2000	2.8%
Average Annual Change 2000-2006	5.2%
Population Projection 2010	6.2 million
Population Projection 2025	7.0 million
Population Projection 2050 (FAIR)	8.2 million

All numbers are from the U.S. Census Bureau unless otherwise noted. Additional Census Bureau, INS, and other immigration-related data are available for Tennessee

POPULATION CHANGE

Tennessee’s population increased by 17.0 percent between 1990 and 2000, and by 5.9 percent between 2000 and 2006, bringing Tennessee’s total population to approximately 6.1 million.

Approximately 15.4 percent of the total population increase between 2000 and 2006 in Tennessee was directly attributable to immigrants.

FAIR estimates the illegal alien population in 2005 at 82,000, which ranks 23rd in the U.S. for the FAIR estimate. This number is 78.3% above the U.S. government estimate of 46,000 in 2000, and 811% above the 1990 estimate of 9,000.

According to an estimate of the Pew Hispanic Center, in 2005 there were an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 illegal aliens living in Tennessee. This estimate ranks 18^th among illegal alien populations in the United States for the PEW estimate.

FAIR estimates in 2004 that the taxpayers of Tennessee spent $156 million per year on illegal aliens and their children in public schools. ³

FAIR’s projected annual fiscal costs to Tennessee taxpayers for emergency medical care, education and incarceration resulting if an amnesty is adopted for illegal residents.
Current	2010	2020
$202,000,000	$351,000,000	$624,000,000

POPULATION PROFILE

FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION

ENVIRONMENTAL AND QUALITY OF LIFE PROFILE

Water: Between 2000 and 2006, South Dakota’s immigrant population had a net increase of one-fourth (24.9%).⁴ This compares with a 3.2 percent increase in the native-born population and that included the children born to immigrants. When the U.S.-born children of these immigrants are included, immigrants account for 23 percent of the state’s net growth. South Dakota has a per-capita, public-supply, water demand of 123.2 gallons per day.⁵ If current growth trends continue, by 2050 the state’s population is expected increase by well over 100,000, a net increase of 14.4 since 2006. This means that in 2050, human demand for water in South Dakota could increase by 13.8 million gallons per day.

Prone to drought, South Dakota may find extra demand detrimental when dry times inevitably strike. South Dakota is currently emerging from a drought that covered much of the state, and still plagues the southwestern corner. However, even in areas no longer under the drought status, reservoirs are still well below historical averages.⁶  Mike Gillispie, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, noted the precarious nature of South Dakota. In as little as two dry weeks he said the state could be reemerged in a serious drought.⁷

Additionally, southern South Dakota gets groundwater from the High Plains/Ogallala aquifer. Aquifer depletion has caused increased pumping costs and decreased land values, forcing some farmers into bankruptcy.⁸ In some areas water levels of the Ogallala have declined in excess of 150 feet.⁹ Although the Ogallala Aquifer is an enormous water source, even it is not inexhaustible as long as pumping exceeds replenishment.

The Ogallala is critical to farming in the center of the nation. However, it is replenished slowly because of the relatively dry area. At least 12 billion cubic meters are being drawn from it every year. It's drying up.¹⁰ When this happens, the High Plains Region may become little more than desert.

Traffic: As population growth put more traffic on the roads, the average commute for Tennessee residents increased from 22 minutes in 1990 to  23.6 minutes in 2005. ¹², ¹³  32% of Tennessee's major urban roads are congested and vehicle travel on Tennessee's highways increased 48% from 1990 to 2003. Driving on roads in need of repair costs Tennessee motorists $636 million a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs --- $152 per motorist. Congestion in the Memphis area costs commuters $547 per person per year in excess fuel and lost time, and congestion in the Nashville area costs commuters $730 per person per year in excess fuel and lost time. ¹⁴

In the Memphis-Mississippi-Arkansas area, travelers experience an annual delay of 33 hours, and in the Nashville-Davidson area commuters experience an annual delay of 37 hours. ¹⁵ 12 percent of commuters in Tennessee have a commute time that is 45 minutes or more. ¹⁶

Vehicles in and around Knox County drive nearly 13 million miles a day—and the figure is growing about 400,000 miles annually. ¹⁷

Disappearing open space: Urban sprawl is devouring 3,000 Shelby County acres—the equivalent of about ten Overton Parks—each year. ¹⁸ Knox County and its contiguous counties have lost more than 143,300 acres of farmland in the last 15 years—land that is roughly one-fourth the size of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In Knox County alone, 221 farms and more than 20,000 acres have been turned into home sites, shopping malls, and parking lots. More than 7,000 acres of cropland have been entirely removed from production. ¹⁹

Crowded Housing: In 2005 over 42,000 Tennessee households were defined as crowded or severely crowded housing by housing authorities. ¹⁴ Studies show that a rise in crowded housing often correlates with an increase in the number of foreign-born. ¹⁵, ¹⁶

Sprawl: Population growth and urban sprawl are the greatest threats facing Southern forests, according to the federal Southern Forest Resources Assessment. Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau and ridge-and-valley section between the plateau and the high mountains along the state’s eastern border are especially susceptible to forest fragmentation. ¹⁷  Tennessee ranks 8^th in the nation for prime farmland acreage loss to urbanization. ¹⁸

A study of urban sprawl between 1970 and 1990 that calculated the impact of population increase and per capita land use found that 145.5 square miles of additional land were consumed by urban sprawl in the Memphis metropolitan area, and 39.1 percent of that sprawl was attributable to population increase. In the Chattanooga metro area, which crosses into Georgia, sprawl consumed an additional 140 square miles and population increase accounted for 36 percent of the increase, and population increase was attributable to 71.8 percent of 140.0 acres of sprawl in the Nashville area. ¹⁹

Air Pollution: As population increases, pollution usually rises along with it. Residents of all four major metropolitan areas in Tennessee are breathing unhealthy amounts of air pollution according to the American Lung Association. ²⁰ The Great Smoky Mountains is the nation’s most polluted national park, with air quality rivaling that of Los Angeles. Ozone levels in the Smokies have violated federal health standards more than 175 times since 1998. ²¹

12 of Tennessee’s 95 counties received a grade of “F” from the American Lung Association in their “State of the Air 2005” report. Three other counties received a grade of “D”, and two counties received a grade a “C”. ²²

In Chattanooga, an EPA-funded study found that 17 toxic chemicals are present at levels that could cause cancer. ²³

Poverty: In 2005 17.7 percent of immigrants in Tennessee had incomes below the poverty level, an increase of 27.6 percent since 2000. Among non-citizens, the poverty rate climbs to 21.1 percent. ²⁴

Solid Waste: Tennessee generates 1.27 tons of solid waste per capita. ²⁵

Schools: Between 2000 and 2006 Tennessee’s K-12 student enrollment increased by over 37,000 students, ²⁶, ²⁷ and is projected to increase by an additional 59,000 students by the year 2015. ²⁸  Tennessee’s student-teacher ration of 16 ranks 37th in the U.S. ²⁹

In Polk County, student enrollment increases have pinched the school budget, requiring additional bus drivers, teachers, and equipment. In Bradley County, schools are adding temporary classrooms. ³⁰ Enrollment projections for Shelby County schools, where schools are already well over capacity, show steady growth. ³¹ “In the southeast, all we see is all this development. No one cares whether or not we have the space to put the kids,” says one school board member .³²

Illegal Immigration in Tennessee

Tennessee has some of the nation’s leading meat processors, several of which are owned by Tyson Foods, which has been charged with conspiring to smuggle illegal aliens to work at poultry plants. A 36-count indictment in Chattanooga charged Tyson Foods with violation of immigration laws in the hiring of illegal aliens. Fifteen plants in nine states, including ones in Shelbyville and Union City, have been implicated in the conspiracy. ³³

While Immigration and Naturalization Services arrests of illegal aliens have risen since September 11, 2001, the agency says it is unlikely to arrest “the average individual with no arrest record and no prior run-ins with INS,” due to lack of manpower. The INS has only 20 agents to cover Tennessee, the east half of Arkansas, and the top half of Mississippi. ³⁴

A flood of illegal aliens took advantage of a law passed in 2001 that allows anyone who can prove Tennessee residency, whether they are in the country legally or not, to get a driver’s license. A new state plan now requires that immigrants in Tennessee applying for driver’s licenses must provide a Social Security number or proper immigration documents; if they cannot, they will receive a license stating “for driving purposes only” on the front. ³⁵

Endnotes:

1. FAIR estimate based on the 2006 Current Population Survey.
2. "Estimates of the Unauthorized Migrant Population for
3. States based on the March 2005 CPS", Pew Hispanic Center.
4. “Study Predicts Sequatchie Valley Water Shortage,” Associated Press, November 12, 2001.
5. Duane W. Gang, “Urban Sprawl Threatens Clean Water, Officials Say,” Chattanooga Times, September 5, 2002.
6. “Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000,” Census 2000, U.S. Census Bureau.
7. Selected Economic Characteristics: 2005 Data Set - 2005 American Community Survey, American Fact Finder, U.S. Census Bureau.
8. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
9. "The 2005 Urban Mobility Report", Texas Transportation Institute.
10. Fred Brown, “Emissions Limit to Have Big Effect on Counties,” Knoxville News-Sentinel, August 18, 2002.
11. David Waters, “Land Should be Treasured, Not Squandered by Developers,” Commercial Appeal, July 28, 2002.
12. Fred Brown, “Keeping the Farms,” Knoxville News-Sentinel, November 4, 2001.
13. Selected Housing Characteristics: 2005 Data Set - 2005 American Community Survey, American Fact Finder, U.S. Census Bureau.
14. “Tennessee State Factsheet,” Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute.
15. Haya El Nasser, “U.S. Neighborhoods Grow More Crowded,” USA Today, July 7, 2002.
16. Randy Capps, “Hardship Among Children of Immigrants: Findings from the 1999 National Survey of America’s Families,” Urban Institute, 2001.
17. Morgan Simmons, “Development Looms as Biggest Threat to Southern Forests,” Knoxville News-Sentinel, November 27, 2001.
18. American Farmland Trust, “Farming on the Edge”
19. Beck, Roy and Leon Kolankiewicz, “Weighing Sprawl Factors in Large U.S. Cities,” NumbersUSA, March 2001.
20. Stephanie Gaskell, “Study Ranks Tennessee Cities Among Those With Most Polluted Air,” Associated Press, May 1, 2002.
21. Duncan Mansfield, “Smoky Mountains Air as Bad as L.A. Smog,” Chicago Sun-Times, September 24, 2002.
22. “State of the Air 2005: Tennessee”, American Lung Association.
23. Kathy Gilbert and Dave Flessner, “City’s Pollution Comes from Cars,” Chattanooga Times, January 16, 2002.
24. “Tennessee State Factsheet,” Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute.
25. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
26. "Overview of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools and Districts: School Year 1999-2000," National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
27. "Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment, High School Completions, and Staff From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06', National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, June 2007.
28. Projections of Education Statistics to 2015, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
29. "Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment, High School Completions, and Staff From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06', National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, June 2007.
30. “Higher School Enrollments Concern Some Area Officials,” Chattanooga Times, August 21, 2002.
31. Katherine Cromer, “Projections Show Steady Growth for County Schools in 2002-2003,” The Commercial Appeal, March 1, 2002.
32. Katherine Cromer, “New School Urged for Southeast Shelby,” Commercial Appeal, May 26, 2002.
33. Katherine Cromer, “New School Urged for Southeast Shelby,” Commercial Appeal, May 26, 2002.
34. Linday Riddell, “INS Arresting More Illegals,” Chattanooga Times, January 13, 2002.
35. “Governor Announces Tighter Driver License Requirements,” Associated Press, July 19, 2002.

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