Left wing organizations in Nashville made social media posts on Tuesday targeting State Representative Lee Reeves (R-Franlin), who is seeking the Republican nomination to represent Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, after Reeves said he would work to support President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda by passing a federal ban on funding for sanctuary cities if elected.
After Reeves said that, if elected, he would work in Congress to impose a federal ban on taxpayer funding for sanctuary cities, the community organization Occupy Nashville and progressive news outlet The Tennessee Holler published posts to social media slamming the pro-Trump Republican.
The Holler noted that the district Reeves seeks to represent includes part of Nashville, and claimed his effort to defund cities which refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities amounted to working against those he hopes to represent.
“We know GOP reps don’t fight for their constituents, but openly campaigning to fight against them is a new one,” wrote the outlet.
A reader replied to the outlet with a post that questioned whether Reeves is a “Trump Nazi” or “super racist.”
My neighbor asked me this yday :
“Is Lee Reeves ..a Trump Nazi ?
Why does he continually want to undermine Nashville ?
Why is he so in favor of the Nazi tactics of ICE ?
He seems super racist, totally unfit for office.”
My neighbor is 75 & has lived in Nashville since birth.— Guitars & Cadillacs 🟧 (@DuncanReport) August 12, 2025
Occupy Nashville similarly hurled an accusation of fascism, writing in a post to social media that Reeves was, “the latest right wing fascist running for one of Nashville’s gerrymandered districts.”
The posts were written after Reeves on Monday announced his call for federal legislation targeting sanctuary cities, those with laws forbidding local law enforcement from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
He specifically said it would include Nashville, where Mayor Freddie O’Connell faced accusations of doxxing immigration officials after he recently signed an executive order mandating the publication of their interactions with Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD).
Reeves also mentioned State Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville), who is currently seeking the Democrats’ nomination in the same race, and previously filmed herself as she appeared to obstruct the May immigration enforcement operation between ICE and Tennessee Highway Patrol.
“If jurisdictions like Democrat-run Nashville don’t get with the program, they should be federally defunded,” said Reeves. “They already are scorning state laws right here in Tennessee. Democrats like Mayor Freddie O’Connell and Aftyn Behn who interfere with ICE should resign from their positions.”
In a statement to The Tennessee Star, Reeves said that Democrats are targeting him because he will be a strong ally to President Donald Trump if elected to Congress.
“The Far Left knows that I’m the conservative America First candidate in this race and I’m standing in the way of their real goal. Democrats like the ‘AOC of Tennessee,’ Aftyn Behn, want to win the 7th District and impeach President Trump. I’m not going to let that happen,” said Reeves, adding that he is running for Congress to become a “reliable teammate” for the Trump administration in its effort to “permanently end the threat of illegal immigration in America.”
Reeves told The Star, “We have to end the birthright citizenship loophole and defund sanctuary cities and states in order to keep our communities safe, end child & human trafficking, fight the drug trade, eliminate our budget deficits, and pay down the national debt.”
He stated, “The answer is simple. If we fix the illegal immigration problem, we can make America safe, prosperous, and free.”
Following the recent retirement of former Representative Mark Green, the seat is vacant, and Reeves is now one of eight Republicans seeking the party’s nomination on October 7. The general election will be held on December 2.
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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].
Nashville is doomed. At least Lee is trying to save it, but that’s llike trying to talk someonme off a bridge before they jump.