The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Resettlement Coalition (TIRRC) claimed in a Wednesday statement the landslide victory achieved by President-elect Donald Trump will make the country “less safe,” though the group was contacted by an Biden-Harris Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Louisiana to facilitate the release of thousands of illegal immigrants into Tennessee.
“The plans Donald Trump has promised will make every community less safe,” the group claimed in a statement posted to the social media platform X, before listing Trump’s proposals to end birthright citizenship, curtail public support for immigration nonprofits, and unleash the largest domestic deportation operation in the nation’s history.
“We’ve been building power and preparing for this moment for more than 20 years,” the group claimed. It promised supporters it will, “use every tool in our toolbox to make sure Tennessee’s immigrant and refugee community has the freedom to thrive and live with dignity.”
On the election of Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/Du6sgYcP6s
— TIRRC (@tnimmigrant) November 6, 2024
While TIRRC describes itself as a “model for immigrant rights organizations” that is “[b]uilding a Tennessee where all can belong and thrive,” emails released by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti last month revealed the group was part of an ICE plan to release illegal immigrants from its Louisiana facilities in 2022.
Skrmetti released the emails after the attorney general successfully sued to stop the plan. The lawsuit began after TIRRC advised ICE to inform Governor Bill Lee of the agency’s plans, and the Tennessee governor immediately went public with the scheme.
“Thank you for the meeting time this am and answering some crucial questions for us. As discussed, we really believe this conversation should be had with the Tennessee Governor,” said a TIRRC representative in one email to an ICE official.
While scheduling meeting between ICE officials and Lee, the officials told Lee’s administration, “Tennessee Immigrant Refugee Rights Coalition has requested to participate in this discussion with the Governor’s team. This NGO could be a participant on the receiving end.”
Registered as a nonprofit, TIRRC reported receiving more than $860,000 in government funding during the year it was approached by ICE. It expects to receive nearly $900,000 in government funding this year.
Though the plans to release illegal immigrants into Tennessee were thwarted, Skrmetti’s office released an ICE document revealing the national origin of about 7,700 released by the agency into other parts of the country showed that 491 were citizens of the People’s Republic of China.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Donald Trump” by Gage Skidmore CC2.0.
