Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, raised questions about Metro Nashville’s past and proposed funding for two immigration-related nonprofits, arguing that state officials should closely examine the grants and consider whether they comply with Tennessee law.
Pappert, during an appearance on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show on Monday, discussed a contract that provided millions of dollars in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors (TNJFON) beginning in 2022.
Originally approved as a two-year program, the agreement was later extended through June 30.
The contract, which was amended in 2024, awarded more than $3.7 million to programs administered by TIRRC and TNJFON. According to the agreement previously obtained by The Star, the funding supported a broad range of immigration-related legal services, including assistance for individuals in removal proceedings, asylum seekers, recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and others seeking relief from deportation.
It also authorized legal representation, legal advice, and court navigation assistance for immigrants appearing without attorneys, as well as educational programs designed to help immigrants access public services.
“This grant was everything that a far-left-wing legal advocacy group for illegal aliens could want. It was millions of dollars for everything across the board. People who were in deportation or removal proceedings were able to get taxpayer-funded legal services covered through TIRRC,” Pappert said.
He continued, “In fact, when you look at the smorgasbord of different service items that were made possible through this funding, it includes legal services, legal advice, legal representation, but also things as simple as information about how to apply for public benefits, how to go through divorce court, all geared toward illegal aliens and those who are in the country illegally for various different reasons.”
Pappert argued that the arrangement may have conflicted with Tennessee’s anti-sanctuary city laws.
“I think…this was already a direct contradiction of Tennessee law against sanctuary cities,” he said.
Discussing Tennessee’s sanctuary city statute, Pappert noted that the law extends beyond formal sanctuary city policies.
“What most people don’t realize is that in addition to a formal sanctuary city agreement being banned, this legislation also banned informal sanctuary city agreements, and that includes repeated taxpayer support for organizations that could be supporting illegal aliens,” Pappert said.
He added, “And I would argue that this is exactly that. This represents an informal relationship where essentially Metro Nashville, through this $3.7 million contract with these two different organizations, in my opinion, has been funding, as an almost de facto part of Metro Nashville government, a legal center for illegal aliens to challenge federal immigration law.”
Pappert also referenced TIRRC’s legal activities.
“Essentially, you have a city shoveling money toward a legal advocacy group that sues the federal government and the state of Tennessee on behalf of illegal aliens, represents illegal aliens in court, gives them advocacy and tips on how to represent themselves in court when it comes down to deportation and removal proceedings,” he said.
Turning to the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 grants for TIRRC and TNJFON, Pappert discussed his efforts to obtain records from Metro Clerk Austin Kyle under Tennessee Code Annotated 7-3-314(b), which requires nonprofit funding requests to be filed with the legislative clerk and made available for public inspection.
“It began with a claim that we had the wrong guy,” Pappert said. “Despite the law, the state statute being very clear, Mr. Kyle suggested perhaps that we should try the finance office’s division of grants coordination.”
According to Pappert, the clerk later confirmed his office did not possess records related to the proposed grants.
“After citing the law, it’s in black and white, very clear to understand, and going back and forth for another three or four emails last week, Austin Kyle confirmed to me on Thursday that his office has nothing for the 2027 proposed grant by Mayor Freddie O’Connell for TIRRC,” Pappert said.
“And on Friday, he confirmed the same to me of Tennessee Justice For Our Neighbors. They’re supposed to be proposed to get a $718,000 grant. He told me that his office has nothing for either of these at this time,” he added.
Pappert suggested Metro officials may now be attempting to determine the status of the grant records.
“If I had to take a guess as to what may be happening right now across the metropolitan Nashville government, they’re trying to figure out what these grants are and where they’re hidden,” he said. “Do they have them? Can they produce them? They’re trying to figure out themselves what’s gonna happen at 4:00.”
He also questioned statements from Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s office that the proposed FY 2027 funding is merely a continuation of previous funding.
“We, of course, illustrated that this is a blatant lie, or at least a misrepresentation, because in the city’s own budget documents, it lists this is new funding for fiscal year ’27, did not exist in ’26, ’25, or ’24,” Pappert said.
Pappert argued that state officials should begin with a financial review of the prior funding.
“In my opinion, at the very bare minimum, they should start with a complete audit from the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury to figure out exactly where this money is going,” he said.
He continued, “They need to understand exactly where this money went. Was Tennessee, through its municipal government, through its metropolitan government, paying for illegal immigrant immigration services, as they say they’re going to in the 90-page grant description?”
Pappert further stated that if such findings were confirmed, legal action could be appropriate.
“And then, if that is the case, then yes, I believe that Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti – [who has] won a lot of difficult cases, he’s had a lot of hard fights on his hands – I don’t think this would be one of them. I think this would be essentially a slam dunk,” he said.
“I think it would finally give the taxpayers of Nashville some relief, or at least allow the Democrats to direct their money toward another evil project,” he added.
The Metro Nashville Council is scheduled to consider the mayor’s proposed FY 2027 budget, including the grants to TIRRC and TNJFON, on June 17.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
