A growing number of Tennessee residents enrolled in the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and other individuals with work permits have reported being denied driver's license renewals following changes tied to a bill that was passed during the 2025 General Assembly.
The reports have prompted local immigration groups, including the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), to call for greater transparency from state officials on an issue that is leaving those affected unable to drive to work, school and other daily obligations.
As reports continue to emerge, TIRRC has hosted community discussions for affected individuals, providing guidance on how to navigate the situation. According to TIRRC Advocacy
Director Jazmin Ramirez, efforts to assess the full scope of the impact and implement responsive measures remain in the early stages.
Ramirez told The Tennessean that dozens of DACA recipients and work permit holders have submitted reports about their failed attempts to renew their driver's licenses.
The reports come amid a turbulent year of immigration policy in Tennessee, marked byICE arrests and legislation aligned with President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown agenda.
What is DACA?
DACA is a federal policy established in 2012 under the Obama administration that provides temporary protection from deportation for certain undocumented individuals who were brought to the U.S. as children, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Beyond protecting undocumented immigrants, eligible DACA recipients are granted authorization to work legally in the U.S., but the program does not provide a pathway to citizenship.
Recipients must renew their status every two years and pay federal filing fees.
According to Ramirez, there are roughly 6,000 DACA recipients across the state.
What Tennessee law is affecting DACA recipients and work permit holders?
The policy change stems from HB6001, a 2025 immigration law that revised Tennessee's driver's license statutes and requires applicants for temporary licenses to demonstrate a federally authorized period of stay in the U.S.
According to the law, DACA recipients and certain work permit holders no longer qualify because neither DACA status nor an employment authorization document, on its own, establishes a lawful immigration status for a specified period of time under the law.
"T.C.A. 55-50-331(g) requires applicants for a temporary driver license to provide proof of a specified period of authorized stay in the United States. DACA is a form of deferred action and does not itself confer lawful immigration status according to the Federal Department of Homeland Security's Immigration Division,"Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security said in a statement shared with The Tennessean.
"An employment authorization card, by itself, does not establish the status required to prove a specified period of authorized stay within the United States. As a result, some individuals who previously held a license could be affected at renewal if the federal documentation they present no longer establishes eligibility under State and Federal law."
How is this impacting DACA recipients and work permit holders?
The implementation of the new law is hindering affected individuals' ability to carry out their daily responsibilities, Ramirez said.
Those impacted by the legislation have resorted to getting rides from friends and family members with licenses, while others have turned toLyft and Uber, which "will eventually get costly," Ramirez said.
"It's telling people that they don't belong, that Tennessee isn't their home. Specifically, again, for DACA recipients, many of them have called Tennessee their home for decades," Ramirez said when asked about what message the law sends to immigrants.
"So having something that you were able to access up to October stripped away from you has been really hard for directly impacted individuals," she added.
Ramirez also noted that TIRRC has received reports from individuals with a variety of work authorization permits, but she specifically highlighted accounts from residents in the C8 category. According to USCIS, C8 is the federal work authorization category issued to individuals with pending asylum applications, allowing them to work in the U.S. while their cases are being reviewed.
How is TIRRC helping affected individuals?
Ramirez told The Tennessean that since Oct. 1, an increasing number of DACA recipients and work permit holders have reported issues with driver's license renewals. She added that when these individuals go to renew their licenses, all they are told is that a policy change has taken effect.
Ramirez said TIRRC is still in the early phases of addressing the issue and is currently focused on listening to community members, gathering information and exploring potential avenues for resolving it.
"To do anything that is within their power to reverse this. We know that these individuals have valid authorization from the government, and they have previously been eligible to get driver's license in Tennessee," Ramirez said when asked what TIRRC wants the state to do.
After receiving a wave of reports beginning Oct. 1, TIRRC started hosting virtual events to help educate affected individuals about the changes. The organization's next event will be on Oct. 29.
For more information on TIRRC and their resources, visit their website or Instagram account.
For more information about TIRRC and its resources, visit the organization's website or Instagram account.
Peter Burditt covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact him at PBurditt@nashvill.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Thousands of Tennessee immigrants permitted to work unable to renew driver's licenses after law
