The 2022 proposal by the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors (TNJFON) confirms the pro-illegal alien nonprofits sought more than $3.5 million to provide immigration legal services in Davidson County.
Attached as an exhibit to the June 2022 resolution appropriating Biden-era American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to “expand critical immigrant legal services” in Nashville, the document confirms the nonprofits proposed using the funding to help immigrants obtain “protections from deportations.”
The proposal also requested the funding to provide legal services or education to asylum seekers, people seeking work permits, or recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
TIRRC specifically proposed the funding would be used to hire a staff attorney, three paralegals, and a volunteer coordinator. Similarly, TNJFON proposed using the grant money to continue providing legal representation to its existing 327 clients with immigration cases, and to hire two new immigration lawyers, a new paralegal, and one legal advocate.
Notably, the proposal’s appendix includes a fact sheet produced by the Vera Institute of Justice, titled “How Federal COVID-19 Relief Funding Can Support Immigrant Communities.”
That resource, a 2021 document still available on the institute’s website, specifically suggests that local governments consider using one-time funding from the Biden administration as a “catalyst” to begin funding long-term programs aimed at preventing the deportation of immigrants.
“Consider ARP funding as a catalyst investment for a new or expanded long-term program to leverage additional sources of public—and more permanent—funding,” the Vera Institute suggests.
It advises, “Localities should prioritize making zealous representation for people facing deportation sustainable over time.”
In 2024, another proposal from the nonprofits led the Metro Council to amend the scope of services TIRRC would complete in exchange for funding.
The proposal shines new light on the potential services included in the nearly $1.5 million in grants proposed for TIRRC and TNJFON by Mayor Freddie O’Connell in his budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027.
While a spokesman for O’Connell’s office told The Tennessee Star that the grant proposed for TIRRC would not fund legal representation, assistance, counseling, or advocacy for illegal aliens, Metro Clerk Austin Kyle told The Star the proposed spending represents extensions of previously awarded grants, with the funding source being the only difference.
The Star has been unable to locate new proposals submitted by TIRRC or TNJFON ahead of the creation of the FY 27 budget, despite a Tennessee statute that appears to require nonprofits seeking financial assistance from a metropolitan government to file reports with the clerk of the legislative body and to maintain them for public inspection.
In addition to telling The Star that the proposed spending for FY 27 represents continuations of previous programs, Kyle said that Nashville makes nonprofit reports available to the public after approval by the Metro Council.
Last week, The Star filed a public records request under the Tennessee Public Records Act (TPRA), seeking copies of what documents Metro is using to justify the $735,000 proposed for TIRRC and $718,000 for TNJFON in the FY 27 budget. Three Metro Nashville divisions and the Metro Council have confirmed receiving the request.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
These anti-American organizations should receive no public funding.
Freddie and Metro have been caught. Corrupt and deceptive funding. To use tax dollars for this is criminal! A Federal audit by the DOJ needs to happen.