U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Wednesday said that Jerri Green, her opponent in the Tennessee gubernatorial race, “would put illegal aliens over your family” after the Democrat and member of the Memphis City Council voted in favor of a resolution calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the National Guard to be removed from the Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF).
“This is a contrast election: I fought for the Memphis Safe Task Force, and just last night my radical liberal socialist opponent voted for a resolution to remove ICE and the National Guard from taking part in the Memphis Safe Task Force,” said Blackburn in a statement obtained by The Tennessee Star.
Blackburn stated, “Tennesseans have a choice between someone who will stand with law enforcement to keep their families safe and a radical liberal socialist who would put illegal aliens over your family.”
The resolution passed by the Memphis City Council specifically references the ICE operation that occurred in August at the El Corralón nightclub, where the agency told The Star that more than 100 illegal aliens were arrested.
According to the resolution, a total of 121 individuals were detained as a result of the operation, “raising concerns about due process and the impact of federal immigration enforcement on local communities, including the disruption and separation of Memphis families.”
Having pledged her support prior to the meeting, Green was among the nine members of the Memphis City Council who voted for the resolution, and later offered remarks comparing ICE agents to Nazi enforcers. One member abstained. There were no votes in opposition.
“People are being rounded up on buses in the middle of the night because of the color of their skin and their accent,” said Green, according to NewsChannel 3. “They are being asked for their papers like Nazi Germany.”
Green has pledged to end Tennessee’s agreements to cooperate with ICE on immigration enforcement, earning the endorsement of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) Votes, a pro-illegal alien political action committee (PAC) whose affiliated nonprofit was recently appropriated $735,000 by Metro Nashville under Mayor Freddie O’Connell.
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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].
Photo “Jerri Green” by Jerri Green.
