A Tennessee state legislator introduced a bill last week that would disallow the Volunteer state from taking in any refugees if the procedures don’t follow President Donald Trump’s Executive Order on refugee settlement.
In September, Trump signed Executive Order 13888 that allowed state governments and local communities to decide whether or not they want to take in refugees. As Commander in Chief, Trump plans to accept 18,000 refugees next year, which will be the lowest number of refugees America has taken in since 1980.
Under Bruce Griffey(R-Paris)’s proposed HB 1578, Tennessee would adopt the same language as in Executive Order 13888. Furthermore, this proposed law would allow local governments to pass a refugee resolution by two-thirds voting. Next, local government’s resolution would have to outline how many refugees their community would take in.
Once a local government adopts a refugee resolution, a Tennessee state legislator would propose the legislation and need it to be approved by a two-thirds majority by both the House and Senate. After being approved by the state legislators, Tennessee’s governor would need to sign it into law.
“We need to protect and help American manufacturing grow while at the same time protect and try to increase wages for those Tennesseans at the bottom of the economic scale. It is the right thing to do, not just for Tennesseans but for ALL AMERICANS,” Griffey said. “It is too soon in my estimation to ease wage pressure by importing refugee labor and/or allowing illegal immigration labor to continue to operate in Tennessee unabated. My motto is ‘Tennesseans First.’”
As a state, Gov. Bill Lee has not yet made a decision on if the Volunteer state will accept refugees.
Griffey sent a letter to the Lee on December 11 asking him not to accept any refugees.
“On behalf of my constituents in the Seventy-Fifth House District, I strongly urge you decline to accept any refugees for resettlement in Tennessee in accordance with President Trump’s ‘Executive Order on Enhancing State and Local Involvement in Refugee Settlement,’” the letter read.
Griffey later goes on to argue that accepting refugees will have “adverse effects” on Tennessean’s wages, cost the state “millions of dollars,” cause problems with vetting refugees, and put a strain on “local jurisdictions within the state.”
“We need to take care of our own first. Only when the vast majority of Tennesseans are employed with good jobs and good wages and in a position to take care of their families without relying upon ‘income assistance from the government,’ should Tennessee ever consider allowing refugees to resettle here,” he said.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Battleground State News. If you have any tips, email Zachery at [email protected].
Background Photo “Tennessee General Assembly” by Tennessee General Assembly.
I’ll bet the refugees won’t be living in the Governor’s neighborhood.
Well Gov Lee CAVED and NOW TN will be Refugee Heaven…TIME FOR THE LEGISLATURE TO STOP THIS NONSENSE AND pass a VERY STRICK AntiILLEGAL laws too!
We do not need this legislation. We need to slam the door shut – now.
The problem is that if a community decides to take in refugees there is nothing to keep those refugees in that community. They will eventually be free to move wherever they want. I do not agree this should be a local decision. The state either takes them or the state does not. I do not believe TN should take on any more refugees. I believe we should provide safe zones for these people in their own country. Most of these people do not want to come to America. If given a choice to live safely in their own country or come to the US they would chose to stay in their own country. Forcing them to come here creates people living in this country that hold this country in contempt and it breeds hatred and crime. It would be cheaper and better for the US and the refugees to set them up in safe zones in their own country. President Trump once proposed this but of course it went no where because Democrats want these refugees and illegals to increase their voter base.
It is good to see General Assembly action on EO 13888. Irresponsible Refugee Resettlement is a pervasive issue that has caused problems at the neighborhood level. We must fight it by full exercise of the opportunities presented by President Trump’s Executive Order which restores proper respect for the 10th amendment. Assertive & unambiguous expression of local government positions is essential and badly needed.
Mayor Madelin Rogero with her Knoxville City Council does not speak accurately for citizens of East Tennessee and must not be the only voice heard.
How about zero?
I believe that this Refugee issue is not an issue for the Governor’s Office but rather the State Legislature. Nor the local Mayors office, but rather the city /county Council/Commission. And I would vote no. Refugee’s need our compassion and help to return to their homeland or near equivalent cultural area.
Smells like RINO/Chamber of Commerce propaganda to slip refugees in under the wire.
Again, the larger point is what is the most compassionate policy to all: the refugees themselves and certainly the communities hosting them. To wit, these are President Trump’s words before the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly on 25 September 2018:
“As we see in Jordan, the most compassionate policy is to place refugees as close to their homes as possible to ease their eventual return to be part of the rebuilding process. This approach also stretches finite resources to help far more people, increasing the impact of every dollar spent.”
Refugees housed in countries that are physically, ethnically and culturally close to that of heir homeland tend to return to their homeland to rebuild their countries once order is restored; just the opposite is true when you relocate refugees to western countries; they rarely return. In reality, such misguided policies amount to nothing other than demographic displacement designed to seed discontent in the host communities; all part of “the plan” so that power mongers can impose their will.
Very well stated. In view of Gov. Lee’s capitulation it is time for a robust “Firewall” campaign to protect citizens’ interests at the most basic level of government.