Prior to its recent donation to the “Belonging Fund,” a new initiative established by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell to support illegal immigrants following a joint law enforcement operation between the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) received nearly $3 million in government grants since 2020.
TIRRC has condemned the recent immigration enforcement in Nashville that has seen more than 100 arrests, claiming law enforcement was “kidnapping our people off the street based on nothing but the color of their skin.”
The group’s opposition to immigration enforcement led it to donate more than $30,000, alongside other groups, to the “Belonging Fund. ” The mayor’s office explained that the fund is a financial resource created by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT), in conjunction with the Metro Nashville government, “to support immigrants in Nashville during moments of crisis.”
Announced by O’Connell last week, the mayor’s office said the fund will provide assistance to immigrants who “face sudden, destabilizing changes,” through “providing financial resources to nonprofit organizations offering emergency assistance.”
It explains that the money can be used “for housing instability, child care, transportation, food insecurity, or other urgent needs – but not legal services.”
When unveiling the plan at a press conference, O’Connell said the money would help with the “trauma inflicted on families” through immigration enforcement.
Nashville just keeps stumbling from one loser mayor to another. At some point, it will catch up with the city. Purcell, Bredesen and Dean were all rational, pro-business Democrats from 91-15. City boomed. Berry, Cooper & now O’Connell were all disasters. pic.twitter.com/efTaGjhQ8J
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) May 11, 2025
Though the public is invited to donate to the cause, the mayor’s press release notes that TIRRC was among three organizations which “committed more than $30,000 as initial contributors” in order to “help seed the new fund.”
Despite the nonprofit donating to the city-backed fund for illegal immigrants, publicly available Form 990 tax documents reveal TIRRC has received millions in government grants over the last five years.
In 2020, TIRRC first received $392,324 in various government grants. The group went on to receive $293,037 in 2021, $867,175 in 2022, and $1,172,542 in 2023, the most recent year with publicly available tax documents.
During these years, the group reported receiving a total of $2,725,078 from government grants. The tax forms do not specify whether city, state or federal agencies provided the grants.
TIRRC additionally estimated in its organizational budget for 2024 that it would receive an additional $891,089 from various government sources, raising its total potential haul from government funding sources to $3,616,167.
While now opposed to ICE’s activities in Nashville, under the Biden administration, the agency approached TIRRC for assistance with its plan to release thousands of illegal immigrants from Louisiana into Tennessee. The plan was only halted upon the resolution of a lawsuit last year, which was brought by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti.
The donation and the revelation that TIRRC received millions in government grants come amid increased scrutiny of the recipients of federal funds under the Trump administration. Since President Donald Trump reentered the White House in January, Democrats have claimed the Trump administration has blocked more than $400 billion in federal funding, including grant money.
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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 “Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition Event” by Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.
If a 501c3’s main funding source is the government, they are a government organization and shoiluld be subject to Congressional oversight. I look forward to the raid on tgeir offices.
The people promoting this and/or acting on it should be arrested for breaking the law
Hello Elon Musk, here’s one non for profit that you can close, tirrc. Save money and helps immigration as well.
Nashville government needs a local version of DOGE. It will be interesting to see how this goes down when the increased tax bills arrive.