Tag: Illegal Immigrants

Councilman Robert Swope Speaks Out Against ‘Sanctuary City’ Ordinance

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  Councilman Robert Swope told WTN 99.7 FM talk show host Dan Mandis this week that the proposed “sanctuary city” ordinance would create a new class of citizens that would conflict with existing laws. The measure, which would restrict local cooperation with federal immigration officials, was passed on a second reading Tuesday and is up for a final vote next month. Swope has been against the measure from the start, being the only Metro Council member to vote against it on the first reading June 6. Seven other council members joined him this week in voting against it, but 25 voted for it. “If you are breaking the law, then you need to be punished, not be put into a separate class of citizens that says, OK, well, you can break the law but nobody else can,” Swope said in his interview Wednesday with Mandis. Swope spoke of the dangers involved in obstructing the sheriff’s ability to detain criminal illegal immigrants for deportation. Opposition to the ordinance is not about “rounding up” Davidson County’s estimated 33,000 illegal immigrants and “throwing them back across any single single border,” Swope said. In a recent week, 19 illegal immigrants were detained for deportation by the Metro Nashville…

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1.4 Million Illegal Immigrants Working Under Stolen Social Security Numbers: Audit

Tennessee Star Staff
Refugees

Most illegal immigrants who pay taxes have stolen someone else’s legal identity, and the IRS doesn’t do a very good job of letting those American citizens and illegal immigrants know they’re being impersonated, the tax agency’s inspector general said in a new report released Thursday. The theft creates major problems for the American citizens and legal…

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Rep. Diane Black Condemns Proposed City Ordinance That Would Restrict Nashville’s Cooperation With Immigration Officials

Wendy Wilson

Rep. Diane Black, who is considering running for Tennessee governor, issued a press release Tuesday strongly condemning action taken by the Metro Council to push forward a bill that would limit Nashville’s cooperation with federal immigration officials. Critics believe the bill would lead to Nashville effectively becoming a sanctuary city, putting federal funding in jeopardy and also also creating clashes with the state. The press release issued by Black, a Republican, said the legislation would “obstruct immigration law, putting illegal aliens first and the safety and security of Tennessee families last.” Black gave the following statement: First and foremost, as a mother and a grandmother, I implore the Council members to start holding illegal immigrants accountable for crime and acts of violence.  Sanctuary city policies to help and support criminal illegal immigrants pose a direct threat to our citizens and undermine the rule of law.  In Congress, I’m working with my colleagues to pass the Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act to cut off funding for any municipality that helps illegal immigrants hide from the law.  It’s time for Mayor Barry to stop borrowing liberal policies from California and New York and start putting the safety and security of Tennessee families…

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San Francisco Creates Legal Office To Defend Illegal Immigrants From Deportation

Tennessee Star Staff

The San Francisco public defender’s office launched a new unit Tuesday dedicated to representing illegal immigrants faced with deportation and focused on providing local tax money for cases heard in the city’s federal immigration courts. The special immigration division, one of only three such programs in the country, consists of three deputy public defenders and a…

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Guest Commentary: ‘Gardenhire Republicans’ Want Subsidized Education for Illegal Immigrants and Sanctuary Campuses

Admin
Tennessee Star

By: Karen Lees The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) reports that the burden of illegal immigration on taxpayers in Tennessee for both state and local expenditures jumped from $285 million in 2007 to $547 million in 2013, according to a FAIR 2013 study. To add to that burden, proposed legislation that would grant eligibility for illegal aliens to receive in-state tuition is being considered this session by legislators at the Tennessee State Capitol. In most cases, the discount for in-state tuition is roughly 50%, leaving Tennessee taxpayers with half the cost of tuition for each illegal student. Senator Todd Gardenhire’s SB 0635 & SB 1014 and Representative Mark White’s HB 0660 & HB 0863 seek to abdicate the legislature’s delegated authority to a Board of Regents or other un-elected body governing Tennessee’s post secondary schools. With slumping attendance rates, the decision left to un-elected boards to fill empty seats in the classroom will take priority over compliance with federal immigration law and public safety. The summary for SB0635 states: This bill authorizes the governing body of each public institution of higher education to determine the qualifications that students must possess to be eligible for payment of in-state tuition and fees.…

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