During Tuesday’s debate on SB2333 sponsored by State Sen. Mark Green (R-Clarksville) that would prohibit local jurisdictions from creating their own identity card programs, State Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) offered an amendment addressing parent access to schools. The local identity cards, also called municipal IDs, have been made available to illegal aliens in other states to help them access certain public services and appear as if they are lawfully present,
While explaining his amendment, Gardenhire, who annually sponsors a bill to award in-state tuition to illegal alien students, disparaged “White and African American” parents who, he said, don’t “show up” to be involved with their children’s schools:
In my district we have an enormous amount of Latino students. Let’s just get right down to the chase of it. We have an enormous amount of Latino students and these parents want to be involved. They’re involved more than any other segment of the population are. And if we exclude them because they can’t show some ID and get into the building and participate, we’re doing the students and the teachers and the principals a disservice.
You can watch and hear Gardenhire make these comments at the 5:41:57 mark of this video of the debate on Amendment 4 on April 24.
Gardenhire went on to explain in greater detail his views on the different levels of engagement of White and African American parents:
If you go to East Ridge High School in Chattanooga and you go to the parents that come involved, it’s not the White parents that show up to be with the kids, it’s not the African American parents that show up with the kids. It’s Latino parents that want to show up and be with their kids and be with the teachers and find out the best way to get educated.
You can watch and hear Gardenhire make these comments at the 5:46:30 mark of this video of the debate on Amendment 4 on April 24.
You can also hear the audio of Gardenhire’s remarks made at the 5:46:30 mark in that video about White, African American, and Latino parents at East Ridge High here:
Local identification card programs are being pushed by advocates wanting to help shield and accommodate the needs of illegal aliens.
During Nashville’s last mayoral race all of the candidates including endorsed creating a local identification card program that would include illegal aliens. This has become a popular program in sanctuary cities helping illegal aliens avoid arrest and possible deportation during traffic stops.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago-issued municipal ID card available to illegal aliens will be accepted as valid voter identification.
In Cincinnati, working with local law enforcement and city officials, Catholic Charities is producing and providing the municipal ID card to immigrants in the city who don’t have or can’t obtain U.S. government identification because they have entered the country without permission.
Approximately 20% of students enrolled at East Ridge High School in Chattanooga, the school referenced by Sen. Gardenhire, are listed as Hispanic.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), estimates that illegal immigration cost Tennessee taxpayers $793 million dollars in 2017.
FAIR estimates  that 135,000 illegal aliens live in Tennessee that along with approximately 46,000 of their children born in the U.S., brings the total to over 180,000 people. Additionally, it is estimated that in Tennessee illegal alien households add 39,000 students to local schools.
Including U.S. citizens and authorized alien workers, the cost in Tennessee breaks down to a fiscal burden of $315 per household.
Is that R behind Mr. Gardenhire’s name a typo, perhaps? If not, then
I offer a fitting quote from Scooby Doo, “Rut Roh!”
Since he’s using the rationale that these cards are needed so these “better, more involved parents” have photo ID access to schools, then just having a specific school ID would help. Not a municipal ID card like other places have so illegal aliens have access to services, voting, etc.
Who elected this man I’d like to know. Wow. Tennessee needs less people like him and NO more tax payer ILLEGAL migrant programs or benefits !! They don’t need Id’s they need one last free ride back to the border with a promise to be shot on site if they attempt to return. Sick and tired of the pandering to people who break the law coming here to suck up opportunities American children deserve. Our educational system needs a major overhaul. How about this Representative address that instead of ILLEGAL MIGRANTS ? OMG, Vote him OUT !!
This should surprise no one. Gardenhire is a rude, arrogant, pompous politician that obviously and in my opinion holds his constituents and parents in contempt. WHEN will the people of his district send him packing?? It’s also obvious to me that his priorities are not about doing what is right and upholding the oath he took to uphold and defend the US Constitution and the Constitution of TN but he cares only about getting votes. He should work so hard for legal Americans as he does for illegals. I understand he wanted in-state tuition for students but they are still illegal and it is their parents they should be angry with not the Tennessee taxpayer. They got a free K-12 education in which they were not entitled at the expense of the taxpayer (they cost more to educate than American students because of the language barrier) and now they want a break on tuition for college. Sorry. We are not playing that tune here in Tennessee. Perhaps Gardenhire would be better suited moving to California.
Where are these so-called “involved “ Latino parents when tens of thousands of children show up on our border unescorted?
“Latino children” are STEALING the resources from the AMERICAN and legal resident children. It is a disgraced that we are FORCED to educate these illegals
Maybe those parents who don’t show up are working long hours only to pay taxes to the very schools.
Ouch! Sounds like the “good”Senator is saying that all Latinos are illegal immigrants AND that all those White parents that vote for him are deadbeat parents.
The fact is, that by allowing people like Gardenhire to divide us into racial, ethnic or cultural buckets, we are allowing them to break apart the very glue that makes America a great, unique nation! We are Americans, period!
We don’t need him or anybody else like him representing us in Nashville, Washington, or anywhere else!
To be honest, I have no problem with the photo ID for these people as long as the card includes large letters that say “NOT A US CITIZEN’ or “NOT A LEGAL RESIDENT”, rendering the ID invalid for voting and access to “public services”
So with this rationale, it would be ok if an individual went into a market or retail store and stole merchandise as long as his or her parents were there to support their child? No? Are both examples not breaking the law, or are you rewriting the law now Gardenhire? Just let us law abiding citizens know when you’re done so that so we can start looting the nearest department store.
Mr. Gardenhire – You are an embarrassment. Maybe the reason that so many illegal parents show up at school is because they have overrun the resident blacks and whites. If you are so in love with your illegal friends why don’t you take them back to Mexico with you?