Tag: illegal immigration

Conexion Americas Led Coalition, With Randy Boyd’s Non-Profit as a ‘State Partner,’ Says Students Here Illegally Deserve ‘Educational Equity’

Chris Alto

  Conexion Americas, the convener and leading member of the Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition (TEEC), has issued a letter to Sens. Alexander and Corker asking them to continue Obama’s administrative bypass of Congress that unilaterally created the questionable DACA program. Gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd’s education non-profit Complete Tennessee, on which Conexion Americas’ founder and executive director Renata Soto serves as a board member, is listed as a State Partner on the TEEC website. TEEC was established in March 2016. Complete Tennessee was established in September 2016, about the same time that Randy Boyd and his wife Jenny Boyd donated $250,000 to Conexion Americas. TEEC says that students who arrived in Tennessee in violation of U.S. immigration law deserve “educational equity:” As members of the Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition, we write you to express our support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition is a diverse group of civil rights and education advocacy organizations whose goal is to build a shared advocacy agenda to address achievement and opportunity gaps for students across the state. We write you to respectfully request that you support the DACA program and that you urge President Trump to keep the DACA program intact until…

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Conexion Americas, Recipient of $250k From Randy Boyd, and TIRRC Are Defending Obama’s DACA Program for Illegal Aliens

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  Conexion Americas and TIRRC (Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition) are taking action this Friday to defend recipients of Obama’s unilateral 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program who are euphemistically referred to as “dreamers.” After the “Dream Act” failed in 2010, the Obama administration used an administrative bypass of Congress to execute unilateral executive amnesty in the form of the DACA program. On Friday, Conexion Americas, a Nashville Latino advocacy organization and recipient of a $250,000 donation from Randy and Jenny Boyd, is offering a popsicle to anyone who stops by and sends a postcard to Tennessee’s D.C. legislators requesting support for the newest “Dream Act.” Recently introduced by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democrat Dick Durbin, the bill provides even greater protection for the DACA eligible by offering a path to citizenship. Boyd is one of five announced candidates for the Republican nomination for governor of Tennessee. Conexion is taking a subtle approach to undermine the rule of law and preserve an unconstitutional action by the Obama administration, whereas TIRRC’s approach is more direct – they are asking Tennessee teachers to take their politics into the classroom. TIRRC’s Friday “Educator Day of Action” in defense of DACA…

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Gubernatorial Candidates Beavers and Black Consistently Support Bills to Curb Illegal Immigration, But a Key Bill Sets Them Apart

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  On the issue of illegal immigration, gubernatorial candidates Mae Beavers and Diane Black both consistently vote for bills intended to curb illegal immigration. However, in 2001, a Democrat controlled legislature passed HB983, a bill which allowed driver’s licenses to be issued to someone without a social security number enabling illegal aliens to obtain a Tennessee drivers license. It was estimated that more than 180,000 licenses were issued after the law was passed. Beavers voted against HB983 while Black voted for it. Black doesn’t deny voting for the bill, but explained it as “an unintended consequence of a bill that was supposed to allow legal immigrants to get licenses and co-sponsored legislation to repeal it.” Just months after Tennessee’s legislative session concluded, the 9/11 terrorist attack occurred and the question of easy access to state driver’s licenses was highlighted by the FBI raising the same question in state legislatures around the country, including Tennessee. This prompted a bill at the start of Tennessee’s next legislative session to fully repeal the illegal alien driver’s license bill. Even though the bill was not passed, both Beavers and Black signed on as co-sponsors and both voted for it. In 2004, the Tennessee General Assembly and the Governor’s office…

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Nashville Chamber of Commerce and NAE Support for Low-Skill Immigrant Labor Undermines Mayor Barry’s Office of Resilience And Its Goal of ‘Economic Inclusion’

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  Mayor Megan Barry’s Office of Resilience has singled out “economic inclusion and equity” as the key to building “urban resilience,” but support from the Nashville Chamber of Commerce and the New American Economy for legal and illegal immigration complicates achieving the mayor’s goals. According to Metro Nashville Social Services’ 2016 Community Needs Evaluation report, “the poverty rate in Davidson County remains higher than Tennessee and the U.S.” Low wages, educational attainment, unaffordable housing and wage gaps are among the reasons cited for the pervasive and continuing high rate of poverty. Low wage work is equated with earning the federal minimum hourly wage of $7.25 used by Tennessee. According to the 2016 Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1.8% of  Tennessee’s 67,000 low wage workers are paid the minimum wage, while 2.1% earn below the minimum wage.   Nashville Workers Dignity organized in 2010 to represent “wage theft” from low wage immigrant hotel cleaners and have expanded their campaign to include construction workers. Low wage hotel workers are bootstrapping their demands for “economic justice” defined as “a minimum wage of $15 an hour, paid sick days and maternity time, and more than anything else, respect for hotel and cleaning workers,” to the explosive growth…

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Partnership for a New American Economy Misstates Facts While Pushing to Keep DACA Program

Chris Alto

  The New American Economy (NAE, aka, Partnership for a New American Economy), has sent out a “Code Red” alert trying to protect Obama’s amnesty-style DACA program which according to their count, has granted 800,000 illegal immigrants a temporary deferral from deportation. The NAE alert claims that DACA applicants “had to show that they were contributing to our country” even though this is not part of the criteria or considered by USCIS when deciding whether to grant DACA status. Putting that fact aside, NAE’s characterization of DACA applicants is in line with the economic narrative NAE uses to promote legal and illegal immigration: DREAMer program faces death sentence Here’s the harsh new reality: 800,000 DREAMers are now likely to lose their status and face deportation. Immigration advocates are calling this the “Code Red moment.” The warning first came down this week from the Secretary of Homeland Security to members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Obama’s program allowing for DREAMer legal status will no longer be defended in court, a potential death sentence for the program that leaves every one of the 800,000 DREAMers potentially subject to deportation. The result could be the deportation of hundreds of thousands of our best-and-brightest young…

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Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd’s GOP ‘Great Opportunity Party’ Likely to Include Illegal Aliens

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  “As a member of the Republican Party and the GOP, I’ve always been a little concerned and also as a marketer, having a brand being the ‘Grand Old Party’ isn’t something that people necessarily aspire to, but I think the ‘Great Opportunity Party’ can stand for something,” gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd told Knoxville radio host Jim Brogan during an on-air interview in May (beginning at the 42:50 mark in the interview). And when I think about opportunity I think about this opportunity for a better education. Wouldn’t it be great if people from around the country they think of Tennessee, they think yeah, that’s the land of opportunity. That’s where you go to get a great education. You can go to technical community college free even as an adult now as a result of this past legislation. It’s where you can go to get great jobs. They’ve got factories and companies all across the state willing to pay top dollar. It’s the place to go to get great jobs. And also it’s the place where you can go to rural communities and live a great quality of life because they’re not leaving people behind. It’s an opportunity, a state of opportunity…

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Tennessee Data Shows LegaI & Illegal Immigrants Displacing Native -Born in Job Market

Chris Alto
Unemployment line

  A 2017 analysis of labor force participation rates using the government’s Current Population Survey (CPS) data for Tennessee, shows that: immigrants (legal and illegal) accounted for all of the net increase in the number of working-age (16-65) people holding a job in Tennessee between the first quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2017 – even though the native-born accounted for 77 percent of growth among the total working-age population. Prior analysis indicates that 30 percent to 40 percent of immigrants in Tennessee are in the country illegally. Of the 229,000 immigrants in the state working, 70,000 to 90,000 are likely to be illegal immigrants. Not much has changed from when the article Who Got the Jobs in Tennessee?, was published by the Center for Immigration Studies in 2014: All of Tennessee’s employment growth since 2000 has gone to immigrants, yet natives accounted for two-thirds of population growth. Reference to “immigrants” in both the 2014 and updated 2017 analyses include both legal and illegal entrants. Both reviews used CPS survey data which is collected by the federal government and is considered “the nation’s primary source of information on the labor market.” This data measures the percentage of the population that is…

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Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd Okay With Helping Illegal Aliens in Tennessee Start Their Own Businesses

Chris Alto

Next time you eat food prepared by a Conexion Americas culinary entrepreneur, thank Randy Boyd for his $250,000 donation that helped expand the kitchen incubator program. When asked about his donation during a radio interview , Boyd gushed, “I’m all about supporting entrepreneurs and creating spaces for entrepreneurs.” The Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE), of which Boyd is a named member, last year issued a Tennessee report estimating that approximately 10,612 “undocumented entrepreneurs” in the state have started businesses: Large numbers of undocumented immigrants in Tennessee have also managed to overcome licensing and financing obstacles to start small businesses. In 2014, an estimated 10.3 percent of the state’s working-age undocumented immigrants were selfemployed — meaning Tennessee was the unique state where unauthorized immigrants boasted higher rates of entrepreneurship than either legal permanent residents or immigrant citizens of the same age group. Almost 11,000 undocumented immigrants in Tennessee were self-employed in 2014, many providing jobs and economic opportunities to others in their community. Undocumented entrepreneurs in the state also earned an estimated $244.3 million in business income that year. Boyd’s donation to Conexion Americas which renamed the space to “Conexion Americas Mesa Komal Kitchen & The Randy and Jenny Boyd Culinary Incubator,”…

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La Raza Affiliate That Randy Boyd Gave $250,000 Is Holding Another Anti-Trump Event in Nashville

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  Renata Soto, is the co-founder and director of Conexion Americas, a named partner affiliate of the National Council of La Raza (La Raza). In 2015, she was made Chairman of La Raza’s board and the following year, gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd donated $250,000 to her Nashville organization. Shortly after Trump was elected President, Soto announced that she would begin organizing against the new administration by starting an “Indivisible” chapter in Nashville. “I invite you to join INDIVISIBLE, a campaign bringing together concerned Americans who commit to protect the promise of an indivisible nation that celebrates the roots and possibilities of all its people,” Soto wrote in a December 2016 op-ed published in The Tennessean. On Friday, Soto will hold another ‘Indivisible’ event at the Conexion Americas building Casa Azafran.  Among the activities promoted at the event, attendees of all ages are invited to “RAISE YOUR VOICE Write postcards to our legislators supporting the principles of an INDIVISIBLE community.” Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s early support for the ‘Indivisible’ campaign is no surprise given her own left-wing open borders, pro-illegal immigrant political philosophy. https://twitter.com/MayorMeganBarry/status/822516452053942274 ‘Indivisible’ organizers are working to obstruct President Trump’s agenda for the nation including the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws. The Indivisible…

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Soros Open Borders Progressives Working to Turn ‘Welcoming Nashville’ into Safe Zone for Illegal Aliens

Chris Alto

  This week, talking points on BL2017-739  were provided to Metro Nashville Council members so they could explain to constituents why they support an ordinance that would effectively convert Nashville’s “welcoming city” into a legally recognized sanctuary city. The talking points were written by Soros funded organizations that work to shield illegal aliens from deportation. Councilman Mina Johnson who is a co-sponsor of the ordinance says “[she] would like to call [the ordinance] “Nashville Together” or  the “Family Friendly City Bill” because it will: give immigrant families peace of mind that their families will not be separated so long as they continue to live their lives abiding by the law. This ordinance will make Nashville a truly warm and welcoming city and a safe place for all to live. The TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) assisted in drafting the ordinance and along with the San Francisco – based Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), also helped draft the talking points being circulated by Metro Council members. Both TIRRC and the ILRC are recipients of funding from the George Soros Open Society Foundations and the Soros front group Neo Philanthropy. The Soros funded Open Society Foundations grants help support “organizations that promote open borders,…

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Councilman Bob Mendes Blames People Outside Nashville For Foiling ‘Sanctuary City’ Bills, Vows To Find Other Ways To Accomplish Goals

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Metro Councilman Bob Mendes is blaming opposition from people outside Davidson County for thwarting two “sanctuary city” bills, saying the proposed legislation had broad support among Nashvillians. “Inside the county, the support has been overwhelming for these bills,” he said at a press conference Wednesday, where he announced he will withdraw the bills because of growing opposition and a legal opinion issued Monday by Metro’s lead attorney that presented obstacles. Mendes said the bills had become “a political football” among candidates for office, specifically mentioning the Republican primary for next year’s gubernatorial election. All of the announced and anticipated candidates spoke out against the bills. The opposition became so fierce, with many state legislators opposed and also a budding grassroots movement, that Mendes’ claim of broad support within Davidson County is likely debatable. Mendes and other supporters vowed Wednesday to find non-legislative ways to achieve the same ends. “Our goals are unchanged,” he said. Those goals are at odds with the direction many in the country and across Tennessee want to take with the challenges posed by illegal immigration, leaving Mendes and his like-minded colleagues isolated in Nashville’s liberal enclaves. President Trump, whose tough talk helped…

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President Trump Urges Passage of Kate’s Law

Tina LaFleur
Tennessee Star

  The White House released a statement Tuesday afternoon strongly urging passage of HR 3004, more commonly known as ‘Kate’s Law’: The Administration strongly supports H.R. 3004, Kate’s Law. This bill commemorates Kate Steinle, the 32-year-old woman who was shot and killed two years ago in San Francisco as she walked along a pier with her father. The alleged shooter, Francisco Sanchez, was an illegal immigrant who had already been deported five times and had seven felony convictions. H.R. 3004 would increase the penalties that may be imposed on criminal aliens convicted of illegal reentry, deterring reentry and keeping criminal aliens off our streets. The bill is consistent with the Administration’s broader efforts to strengthen enforcement of our immigration laws and improve the security of our Nation’s borders. If H.R. 3004 were presented to the President in its current form, his advisors would recommend that he sign the bill into law.  The effort to sharpen punishments for repeatedly violating U.S. immigration laws in reaction to crimes like the murder of Kate Steinle was undertaken by former FOXNews analyst and host of The Factor, Bill O’Reilly. Early efforts to pass Kate’s Law failed in 2015 and 2016 due to blocks by then-Senator Harry…

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Latinos For Tennessee Finds New Venue For Event Tonight After Being Turned Away Elsewhere

Wendy Wilson

  Latinos For Tennessee has found a new venue for their quarterly networking event tonight after another restaurant suddenly canceled on them Monday. Those involved or friendly with the conservative political advocacy group sometimes face harassment for their views. Executive director Raul Lopez told The Tennessee Star he thinks the group’s recent opposition to the Metro Council’s proposed “sanctuary city” ordinance has made critics even more upset. But Lopez said his group will keep forging ahead despite the pressure. “They can’t stop us,” he said. The group was set to meet tonight at Salsa Puerto Rican and Latin Cuisine, a restaurant on the edge of downtown Nashville. The event was scheduled weeks in advance, but the restaurant notified Lopez on Monday that they’d have to cancel because they were overbooked. Lopez called it “a major coincidence.” The Tennessee Star was unable to reach anyone at the restaurant for comment. Lopez said the group has met there in the past without any problems. In recent days, Latinos For Tennessee had decided to address the proposed ordinance at tonight’s meeting and invited speakers to talk about it. Some backed out because of hostility they faced for affiliating with the group, Lopez said. Councilman Robert…

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BREAKING: Sponsors of Nashville’s ‘Sanctuary City’ Ordinance To Pull July 6 Vote On Bill

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

Sponsors of Metro Council’s proposed “sanctuary city” ordinance are saying they will not ask their fellow council members to vote on the bill July 6 as originally scheduled. In an email to their colleagues obtained by The Tennessee Star, council members Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge said they are working on plans to hold a press conference Wednesday with other advocates of the bill to discuss the matter. The Tuesday afternoon email followed a public statement in the morning by Mayor Megan Barry asking the council to reconsider the ordinance. Barry raised concerns resulting from the release Monday of a written opinion from Metro’s law director, who said the council can’t legally keep the sheriff from cooperating with federal immigration officials. She also said the Metro Nashville Police Department has concerns about the proposed ordinance. Metro Council passed the bill on a second reading last week, but opposition to the ordinance has grown fast in recent days, with nine state senators now joining 63 House members in opposition, with more expected. A grassroots movement is also mobilizing to stop the bill. In their email, Mendes and Sledge said they need more time to review the law director’s legal opinion. It was unclear…

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BREAKING: Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Asks Metro Council To Reconsider ‘Sanctuary City’ Ordinance

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry released a statement Tuesday morning asking the Metro Council to reconsider an ordinance that would restrict local cooperation with federal immigration officials. The ordinance passed on a second reading last week and is up for a final vote July 6. Barry was acting in response to a formal legal opinion issued Monday by Metro Law Director Jon Cooper stating that the ordinance could not be applied to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. Barry said: It is clear from this legal opinion that BL2017-739 does not apply to Sheriff Daron Hall, who has said he will continue to honor detainer requests from the federal government. Additionally, the Metro Nashville Police Department has concerns that the ordinance would prohibit them from recommending U visa applications for immigrants who are victims of crime and willing to help put dangerous criminals in jail. Losing that law enforcement tool could jeopardize public safety and would run counter to the intentions of the sponsors to make Nashville a more welcoming city for New Americans. The Metro Council should give serious consideration to these factors and reconsider whether this legislation is appropriate or necessary at this time. In his legal opinion, Cooper said that…

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Latinos For Tennessee Opposes Nashville’s Proposed ‘Sanctuary City’ Ordinance

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

Latinos For Tennessee is opposing the “sanctuary city” ordinance being considered by Metro Council that would restrict cooperation with federal immigration officials in Nashville and Davidson County. The ordinance passed a second reading last week and will be considered for a final vote July 6. Tommy Vallejos, chairman of the conservative group, issued the following statement in a news release: Nashville’s decision to create a sanctuary city is an affront to the rule of law and puts the well-being of the entire state at risk by blatantly ignoring federal immigration law. True compassion for our community means upholding the rule of law—one of the central pillars of any free, fair and secure society. The Davidson County Sheriff opposes this proposal, and we agree that tying the hands of local law enforcement is not only legally questionable, but it’s dangerous. Just last week in Virginia, Darwin Martinez Torres was arrested for brutally killing a 17-year-old girl. Torres is an illegal immigrant who should not have been in this country at all—he had already been held on local charges that made him removable from the United States. Nashville’s Metro Council still has time to prevent this ordinance from being enacted by rejecting the…

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Partnership for a New American Economy Promotes Legal and Illegal Immigration in Nashville

Chris Alto

  The Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE) whose named members include gubernatorial candidates Randy Boyd and Karl Dean, awarded twenty cities “Gateways for Growth” (G4G) grants designed to “integrate immigrants as part of an economic growth strategy.” Openthebooks.com’s report Federal Funding of America’s Sanctuary Cities identifies half of the G4G grant recipients as sanctuary cities, including Nashville. The Tennessee Star asked the Randy Boyd campaign specifically for a comment on the Metro Nashville ordinance that would make Nashville a sanctuary city but has received no response. PNAE’s “15 key economic issues of immigration reform in America” include: Supporting legal status for the 11.4 million undocumented immigrants. In a 2014 Wall Street Journal oped, PNAE co-founder Rupert Murdoch said that illegal immigrants who are already here should be provided a path to citizenship. Supporting resettlement of refugees who PNAE says that after living in the U.S. between 16-25 years are earning well above the income of refugees who have been here for five years or less. Moreover, PNAE believes refugees are the answer to reviving aging and declining communities. Pushing state and local policymakers to support in-state college tuition for illegal immigrant students. The PNAE, now shortened to “New American Economy,” is a powerful and well-funded…

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Metro Nashville School Board Supports Metro Council’s Proposed ‘Sanctuary City’ Policy

Wendy Wilson

  The Metro Nashville school board is supporting Metro government’s proposed “sanctuary city” policy despite a growing chorus of opposition. The board sent a letter to the Metro Council this week encouraging passage of the ordinance, which was approved on a second reading Tuesday and will be up for a final vote next month. The ordinance would restrict local cooperation with federal immigration officials. “We celebrate the diversity in our schools and want them to be safe places for our students and families,” school board chair Anna Shepherd told The Tennessee Star Thursday. “Most of them are fleeing drug wars and/or civil wars and want better for their families just as our ancestors did.” Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, whose left-wing, open borders,  pro-illegal immigrant political philosophy is in line with the ordinance, has worked closely with the Metro Nashville school board since she was elected in 2015. When the search for a new director of schools stalled in 2016, Barry asserted a leadership role in the search process that ended in the appointment of  Shawn Joseph to that position in May 2016. In the letter to Metro Council sent on behalf of the board, Shepherd voiced concerns about illegal immigrant…

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Davidson County Republican Party Opposes Proposed City Ordinance To Restrict Cooperation With Immigration Officials

Wendy Wilson

The Davidson County Republican Party is urging people to call their city council representative to voice opposition to proposed legislation limiting Nashville’s cooperation with federal immigration officials. On its Facebook page Wednesday, the party chapter posted the roll call from Tuesday’s vote advancing the legislation. The Metro Council voted 25-8 to move the ordinance forward to a third and final reading July 6. There were four abstentions and two council members did not vote. The bill passed a first reading June 6. Many believe the ordinance will lead to Nashville effectively operating as a sanctuary city, though drafters of the legislation say it won’t violate the law. Nashville Mayor Megan Barry routinely rails against immigration enforcement and last week wrote a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) criticizing the way agents were carrying out final orders of removal issued by an immigration court. Most were for individuals with criminal convictions. The proposed city ordinance “ties the hands of our law enforcement” and will lead to “losing millions in federal funding,” said the Davidson County Republican Party’s Facebook post. President Trump has vowed to crack down down on sanctuary cities harboring illegal immigrants. The city ordinance would also set the stage for conflicts…

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Metro Nashville Council Vote Moves City Closer to ‘Sanctuary’ Status

Chris Alto

Twenty-five out of thirty-nine members present at Tuesday’s Metro Council meeting voted to pass the Mendes/Sledge ordinance forward to a third reading and final vote at the next regularly scheduled Council meeting. The ordinance will, in effect, turn Nashville into a “sanctuary city,” and set up an inevitable confrontation with both the state and federal government. It is also in line with the left-wing, open borders, pro-illegal immigrant political philosophy of Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, a Democrat. The vote was preceded by impassioned statements both pro and con; some more factually accurate than others.  Admissions were made that parents are not taking their children to be immunized, victims of domestic violence complaints are not coming forward and there is pervasive fear of interacting with law enforcement. Councilman Scott Davis claimed that downtown hotel cleaners aren’t getting paid because they’re told “you’re illegal. I don’t have to pay you.” The general theme running through supporters was this bill would make the city safer for everyone, “citizens or not,” phrasing used by Councilman Mendes to avoid the legally accurate term “illegal alien.” Mendes claimed that cities are allowed to “have choice” regarding how much they do over and above federal and state law and…

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Family Appeals Father’s Deportation, Says It Violates Their Religion

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

For the first time in U.S. history, attorneys for an illegal immigrant in Houston are appealing to federal religious freedom laws to annul his impending deportation. Lawyers representing Juan Rodriguez filed a lawsuit Monday on the unprecedented grounds that Rodriguez’s deportation would violate his family’s religious beliefs, specifically a Seventh Day Adventist requirement that requires families…

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Nashville Preparing to Become Most Liberal Sanctuary City in the U.S.

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

Two ordinances filed by Metro Councilmen Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge, drafted with the assistance of the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and cheered on by Mayor Megan Barry, will make Davidson County and Metro Nashville the most liberal sanctuary city in the U.S.; in fact, even more liberal in its policies than New York City or San Francisco. The Metro Council may hold the second of the three required readings of one or both bills during its regularly scheduled meeting tonight. TIRRC, an affiliate of the National Council of La Raza and a recipient of funding from a George Soros front group, has been agitating for Nashville to formalize its informal sanctuary city practices since the election of President Trump. The two bills co-sponsored by Mendes and Sledge which will have their second reading tonight, will accomplish that goal. Trying to pass off the ordinances as “in line with state and federal law” the other Mendes/Sledge  bill if passed will, by prohibiting Metro Nashville employees from inquiring into anyone’s immigration status, effectively enable illegal aliens to access public benefits they would otherwise be barred from using. Using the ruse that it’s “bad policy and bad practice”for the Metro Council to…

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Gardenhire Objects to Referring to Those He Calls ‘Undocumented Students’ As Illegal Immigrants

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

State Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) has taken exception to The Tennessee Star’s polling question which accurately refers to foreign nationals of any age who have entered or been brought into the country without permission as “illegal immigrants.” Gardenhire prefers to use the left’s politically deceptive description of “children of undocumented immigrants who are brought to this country when they are very young.” “Illegal alien” is the term used in federal immigration statutes and is the term sanctioned by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 2012 immigration case. Open border leftist organizations such as the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and La Raza, also use “undocumented immigrant” in an effort to “obscure the illegal actions and conduct of those who violate our immigration laws.” In 2014, after failing to move his in-state tuition bill out of committee, Gardenhire tried for a second time the following year. Working his 2015 bill to grant in-state college tuition to illegal alien students, he never used “illegal” anything, referring instead to the potential beneficiaries as, “certain students,” “best and brightest of this category,” “this segment of the population,” “these people,” “undocumented,” and “Tennessee high school graduates.” Rep. Mark White, sponsor of the companion House bills,…

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Metro Council Pushing Illegal Aliens Who Commit Crimes Back into Nashville Communities

Chris Alto

  This week, two proposed ordinances intended to effectuate sanctuary city practices that will protect illegal aliens who commit crimes in Davidson County, were introduced and processed through a first reading. The TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), a formal affiliate of the National Council of La Raza and recipient of funding from George Soros, assisted the bills’s primary co-sponsors, Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge, in drafting the language. Sledge is married to TIRRC’s co-director Lindsey Harris. Two days after President Trump issued his Executive Order calling for enforcement of U.S. immigration laws and the removal of criminal aliens, TIRRC called for local governments to stop cooperating with federal immigration authorities, a key feature of sanctuary city policies and practices. Councilman Mendes denies that the bills create sanctuary policies. However, Mayor Megan Barry, Mendes, Sledge and TIRRC, have consistently used coded language reflective of their bias and objectives with references such as “undocumented immigrant,” “non-citizens,” “welcoming” and “family reunification” to signal their support for open borders and shielding both criminal and non-criminal illegal aliens from deportation. Openthebooks.com’s report which includes Nashville as a sanctuary city, says that “operationally, the DOJ enforces a legal definition of sanctuary city,” relying on…

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Nashville Metro Councilmen Collude with TIRRC to Shield Criminal Aliens

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  Claiming that their bills do not conflict with federal or state immigration statutes, Metro Council members Colby Sledge and Bob Mendes have introduced two sanctuary city bills that will help shield criminal and non-criminal illegal aliens in Nashville. The Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), whose co-director Lindsey Harris is married to Sledge, helped draft the bills. Shortly after President Trump issued his Executive Order calling for appropriate enforcement of U.S. immigration laws, TIRRC issued a state-wide call to organize against efforts by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement to follow the President’s orders: Last week the president shared his blueprints for mass deportation and made clear he needs state and local agencies to act as his deportation force. Join with TIRRC members in your local area to stop your city/county from collaborating with ICE and to create communities of trust where all residents feel safe. Sign up here: www.tnimmigrant.org/trust . The Mendes/Sledge bills are scheduled for a first reading on June 6. Mendes’ website claims that his bills “would not create ‘sanctuary city’ status” even though the bills are designed to obstruct and possibly prohibit cooperating with ICE detainer requests, which the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) says are…

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Illegal Alien, Convicted of 2012 Sex Crime in Robertson County and Deported, Arrested Again at Arizona Border

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  Robertson County convicted sexual predator Jose Pineda Torres, an illegal alien, was again arrested yesterday for violating U.S. immigration laws. In 2012, Torres was convicted for attempted aggravated sexual battery and subsequently deported. On May 24, 2017, he was arrested in the Tuscon Sector by Border Patrol as he again crossed the border illegally. Since Torres had previously been deported, his illegal re-entry is a felony.  He was turned over to ICE for detention. When an illegal alien is apprehended by Border Patrol, all available law enforcement databases are checked and any criminal conviction information is logged into the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) database regardless of whether the crime was committed in the U.S. Between fiscal years 2015 and 2016, under the Obama administration’s immigration enforcement policies, criminal aliens apprehended at the border had convictions categorized in the database as follows: Assault, battery, domestic violence                                        2,758 Burglary, robberty, larceny, theft, fraud                                2,311 Driving under the influence                    …

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New Bill in Congress Will Turn Back Obama-Era Policies and Begin Real Reform of Immigration

Chris Alto

  ICE director Sarah Saldana, sworn in during the Obama administration, submitted written testimony during an April 2016 Congressional hearing documenting that from fiscal year 2013 to 2015, over 86,000 illegal criminal aliens who had been arrested and convicted for committing a crime, were released back into the United States instead of being deported. On May 18, 2017, U.S. House members Raul Labrador, Vice-chairman of the Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee and Bob Goodlatte, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced H.R.2431, the “Michael Davis, Jr. and Danny Oliver in Honor of State and Local Law Enforcement Act” (Davis-Oliver Act) intended to make significant inroads in turning back the effect of Obama-era immigration policies that undermined the public safety in many communities. The Davis-Oliver Act is named after two California law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty by an illegal alien gang member who had already been deported multiple times. Chairman Bob Goodlatte’s opening statement before taking up the Davis-Oliver Act, referred to the effect of “the Obama Administration’s neglect to enforce our immigration laws:” Under the guise of ‘prosecutorial discretion’ and so-called ‘enforcement priorities’, removable aliens were essentially free to roam our country unless they had been convicted of…

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Nashville Lawyers Help Illegal Criminal Aliens Remain in Tennessee Communities

Chris Alto

  “Fighting for immigrant rights” is what Nashville attorney Elliott Ozment does.  He is one of the lawyers suing Metro Nashville, Davidson County and Sheriff Daron Hall, on behalf of the Saudi visa overstayer and the “hundred and likely thousands of immigrants” subject to ICE detainer requests. Ozment helps  illegal aliens who have committed crimes remain in Tennessee communities. Ozment Law’s website says: At Ozment Law, we have helped hundreds of legal and undocumented immigrants in Nashville and the surrounding areas obtain the necessary documentation to be able to work and live in the U.S. without fear of deportation. “Undocumented immigrant” is a term that purposely obscures the fact that U.S. immigration laws have been violated and suggests that legal immigration status is merely a matter of completing some paperwork. Activist liberal groups like the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) also use “undocumented immigrant” even though U.S. law and the U.S. Supreme Court refer to foreign nationals who enter the country without authorization as “illegal aliens.” A May 3, 2017, blog post on the Ozment Law website asks the question, “Do I have to leave the country after being convicted of a crime?” followed by…

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Activist Lawyers Admit Nashville Has an Illegal Immigration Problem

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  On April 7, 2017, Nashville activist pro-illegal immigration lawyers Elliot Ozment, J. Gerard Stranch, IV, Tricia Herzfeld and Anthony Orlandi, sued Metro Nashville, Davidson County and Sheriff Daron Hall, on behalf of Saudi national Abdullah Abriq, who overstayed his student visa, and “hundred and likely thousands of immigrants” subject to detainer requests issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and that “[u]pon information and belief, the Defendants have taken custody of, and detained, thousands of Administrative Detainees over the past five years.” ICE has the responsibility and authority to detain foreign nationals who overstay their visas and those who have entered the U.S. illegally even if they have not committed a criminal offense. So far in fiscal year 2017, thirty-seven percent of immigration offenders adjudicated in immigration court involving either simple immigration violations and/or a criminal offense, have been allowed to remain in Tennessee. Of cases where the judge permits the offender to remain, over 1,000 of the cases involve immigration violations while sixteen are classified as “criminal/national security/terror.” Abriq’s lawsuit alleges that without a valid agreement with ICE, Nashville’s Sheriff Daron Hall has no authority to comply with ICE detainer requests and as a result, violated the plaintiffs’ Fourth…

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Illegal Immigrant Lawfare Could Turn Nashville Into a Sanctuary City

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  On April 7, 2017, Saudi national Abdullah Mansour Abriq, a former student at Tennessee State University, sued Metro Nashville, Davidson County and their sheriff Daron Hall alleging that being held in the Davidson County jail on a detainer request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), violates his constitutional rights and that the sheriff is prohibited from cooperating with ICE. The lawsuit, filed in federal court with Abriq as the lead plaintiff, is a class action on behalf of “hundred and likely thousands of immigrants” being held because of ICE detainer requests, and will be heard by Obama nominated Chief Judge Waverly Crenshaw whose lifetime appointment was supported by Tennessee Senators Alexander and Corker. Abriq is identified in the complaint as a “foreign national who immigrated to the United States under an F-1 student visa.” The F-1 visa is a type of non-immigrant visa that allows a person to be educated in the U.S. if they meet certain conditions. Typically, absent an extension, the student must leave the country once the term or conditions of the visa expire. Visa overstayers are considered unlawfully present in the U.S. and can be deported. In 2016, a bill endorsed by the Haslam administration…

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Gubernatorial Candidates Randy Boyd and Karl Dean Will Fight for Votes of Political Moderates

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  Four months into his 2015 appointment as the new Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, and two years before he announced his run for governor, Randy Boyd told his hometown weekly that, “I’m probably the most hated, disrespected, untolerated political entity in existence… I’m a moderate.” Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, the first declared gubernatorial Democrat candidate also describes himself as a moderate and recognizes that he will need “moderate Republican votes” in order to win. Both candidates say education and economics are the top priorities, both say they are business-friendly and both shower admiration on Haslam’s leadership. For voters, however, even those who identify as “moderate” or “independent,” it will be difficult to distinguish between Boyd and Dean, except perhaps for choosing whether to vote in the Republican or Democrat primary. Political analysts suggest that states with open primaries like Tennessee, work to the advantage of moderate candidates. Both candidates have been married to the same partner for a long time and while Boyd made his fortune by copying a similar commercially available product, Dean married into his wealth.  His wife Delta Anne Davis, is an heir to the millions her uncle Joe C. Davis made through the coal…

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Pew Research: Number of Illegal Immigrants from Mexico Going Down, Number from Central America and Asia Going Up

Wendy Wilson

The number of illegal immigrants from Mexico is down, while the number from Central America and Asia is increasing, according to a new Pew Research study. Overall there has been a slight decline in the total number of illegal immigrants living in the U.S, with the number in 2015 falling below the total at the end of the recession for the first time. The number dipped from 11.3 million in 2009, the last year of the recession, to 11 million in 2015. The figure includes those who enter the country illegally as well as those who overstay visas. Some critics have challenged the total number in recent years, saying it’s probably far above 11 million. However, the Pew Research Center notes that some illegal immigrants are deported, others leave voluntarily or convert to legal status, and some die. The total number is still more than triple the size of the illegal immigrant population in 1990, when it was about 3.5 million, according to the Pew Research Center. It rose dramatically to 12.2 million in 2007 before dipping during the recession. Long the largest group among illegal immigrants, Mexicans now represent a lesser share of the overall illegal immigrant population than they…

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Mark White’s In-State Tuition for Illegal Immigrant Students Will be Back in 2018

Chris Alto

  In the House Education committee today, State Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) moved his second bill, HB660 that would legalize in-state tuition for illegal immigrant students in Tennessee, to the 2018 legislative session. Last week when this bill failed in committee on a 6-6 vote, White indicated he would seek a motion for the committee to reconsider their action on the bill, but likely discovered that he could not overcome the required procedural hurdle. Moving his bill to 2018, allows him to avoid having the motion to reconsider fail, earning yet another strike against his campaign to secure in-state tuition for illegal immigrant students. White’s first bill this year that would have granted in-state tuition to illegal immigrant students, HB863, was voted down in committee in a 7-6 vote.  This bill closely tracked the language of his 2015 bill, HB675, that failed on the House floor by one vote. During an earlier House Education subcommittee hearing on White’s HB660, concern was raised by Chairman Harry Brooks, as to whether Section 5 of the bill would allow the school governing boards to offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrant students because that section removes the paying of in-state tuition from being a state…

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If Education Committee Follows House Rules Mark White’s Bill Will Fail Again

Chris Alto

Section 5 of Rep. Mark White’s (R-Memphis) bill, HB660, would have allowed the governing boards of state colleges and universities to grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrant students. Despite amending his bill to remove Section 5, the bill failed for lack of a majority in the House Education committee this week. If the Education committee follows the Permanent Rules of Order of the Tennessee House of Representatives the 110th General Assembly, White’s bill will not be revived for a new vote by the committee. White has put his bill back “on notice” for the committee’s meeting on Tuesday, April 18th.  However, before the committee can vote on the bill again, a motion for reconsideration would need to be offered and passed. It has been confirmed with the House Office of the Chief Clerk, that a motion to reconsider White’s bill would have to be offered by a committee member of the “prevailing party.” It was also confirmed that when a bill fails to achieve a majority vote as in this case of the 6-6 vote on White’s bill, the “prevailing party” would be someone who voted against the bill. Should any of the committee members who voted “no,” move to reconsider the…

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BREAKING: Mark White’s Second Bill That Would Have Granted In-State Tuition to Illegal Immigrants Fails

Chris Alto

Rep. Mark White’s (R-Memphis) second bill, HB660, that if left unamended, would have allowed the governing boards of state colleges and universities to grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrant students, failed in the House Education committee for lack of a majority on a 6-6 vote. During committee testimony, the TN Board of Regents lobbyist explained that for their institutions, this bill was about revenue – filling seats in their schools and being able to make their own rules about border state recruiting.  The UT lobbyist explained that flexibility in being able to offer in-state tuition as part of the universities’ business model could be more beneficial than the revenue generated by out-of-state tuition. In sponsoring this bill, Rep. White wanted to uniformly expand the authority of the new school governing boards that were created by the Governor’s FOCUS Act, but White also used the bill as an opportunity to have a second bite at the apple to give illegal immigrant students access to in-state tuition should his other bill, HB863 fail to pass.  That bill was defeated in the House Education committee yesterday. During an earlier House Education subcommittee hearing, concern was raised by Chairman Harry Brooks, as to whether…

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Next Bill That Could Grant In-State Tuition to Illegal Immigrant Students on Education Calendar Today

Chris Alto

  Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) and Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) have sponsored two bills this session that would grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrant students. HB863 failed in the House Education committee Tuesday on a 7-6 vote but Rep. White’s other bill, HB660, looks like it will be the first bill considered by the committee on Wednesday morning. This White/Gardenhire bill would authorize the new college and university governing boards to decide which students are eligible to pay in-state tuition rates. “The bill is designed to allow each local community and institution to do what is best for their institution” is how Rep. White’s office described the bill in an email to the Tennessee Star. Importantly, however, HB660 “exempts the extension of in-state tuition that this amendment provides from the definition of ‘state or local public benefit’ under the ‘Eligibility Verification for Entitlements Act’” according to an earlier email statement from Paul Marsh in Rep. White’s office. Last year, the Tennessee legislature passed Governor Haslam’s FOCUS Act enabling the six universities in the Board of Regents system, including Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State University and MTSU to have their own boards that among other duties, will oversee tuition. When White’s HB660…

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Rep. Mark White Says ‘Right Thing to Do’ to Help Illegal Immigrant Student Go to UT Law School; Committee Rejects His In-State Tuition Bill

Chris Alto

  Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) applauded the testimony of an illegal immigrant student before the House Education committee moments before his bill to provide in-state tuition to all illegal immigrant students failed to pass the committee on Tuesday. Karla Mesa Cruz from Knoxville told the committee today that she wants to go to UT Knoxville and get a law degree from UT Knoxville Law School. She told the committee that she had come to Knoxville when she was three but when she began to investigate going to college, learned that she would have to pay out-of-state tuition.  She told the committee she just didn’t “understand why.” Rep. Mark White told the committee that this was the third time he was trying to pass a bill that would allow illegal immigrant students to pay in-state tuition, because “it’s the right thing to do.” Repeating many of the same talking points as in years past, White’s bill was defeated on a narrow vote of 7 against and 6 in favor on Tuesday. Democrats Raumesh Akbari, Johnnie Turner, John DeBerry and Craig Fitzhugh voted yes, joined by Republicans Mark White and Harry Brooks. Republicans voting no were Jimmy Matlock, Eddie Smith, Terri Lynn…

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Open Borders La Raza Affiliate Adds Office in Memphis

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

Nashville based TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), a formal affiliate of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), recently opened an office in Memphis. They are sharing office space with the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center (MSPJC), a “multi-issue, multi-race organization whose mission is to engage, organize, and mobilize communities to realize social justice through nonviolent action.” TIRRC has been the lead organization lobbying for “tuition equality” (meaning citizens and illegal immigrants get the same state benefit), when the first bill was introduced in 2014.  MSPJC, itself a coalition of member organizations was an early supporter of the campaign for “tuition equality.” Establishing a store-front in Memphis brings TIRRC back to its roots since it’s first executive director, David Lubell started his advocacy career with Latino Memphis as a community organizer, leaving in 2001, to start TIRRC in Nashville with an early infusion of funding from a U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement grant to the Nashville Chamber of Commerce for the Building the New American Community initiative, a pilot program designed to facilitate immigration and integration in non-traditional gateway cities like Nashville. The grant emphasized training new immigrants how to be civically engaged which translated into working for political power…

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In-State College Tuition for Illegal Immigrant Students No Guarantee for Future Employment

Chris Alto

  Rep. Mark White’s bill, HB863 that would allow illegal immigrant students to pay in-state college tuition in Tennessee, scheduled for a vote this week, was rolled to next week. The companion bill, SB1014 passed by the Senate Education committee will be put on the calendar in Senate Finance, Ways & Means. During discussion of the bill in the Senate Education committee, Sen. Gardenhire, the bill sponsor in the Senate, confirmed that any criteria that would have restricted the beneficiaries of the 2017 bill to grantees of the Obama Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, had been removed. Criminal histories aside, individuals who entered the U.S. illegally and were “born after June 15, 1981 is within—and shall remain within—DACA’s age requirements” are eligible to apply. If approved, DACA grantees receive a two-year temporary deportation deferment and work authorization which then enables applying for a social security number and a driver’s license. Grantees can apply to renew their DACA status at the two year expiration. Importantly, being granted DACA status does not change the individual’s illegal immigration status. Broadening the scope of the revised 2017 bill as compared to the 2015 version that failed to pass on the House floor, means that…

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Tennessee Farm Bureau Wants In-State Tuition For Illegal Immigrant Students

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star - Top Story

  The Tennessee Farm Bureau (TFB) is reputed to be the largest farm bureau in the country. Its mission statement is: To develop, foster, promote and protect programs for the general welfare, including economic, social, educational and political well-being of farm people of the great state of Tennessee. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), is a non-profit organization with affiliate farm bureaus in all 50 states, including Tennessee. In 2016 the AFBF reported employing eighteen registered lobbyists. Among the services the AFBF provides is training new state farm bureau presidents. In 2013, like the AFBF, the TFB issued a statement of support for the proposed comprehensive immigration reform bill that the Congressional Budget Office concluded a category of “legalization” for illegal immigrants currently residing in the U.S. “The Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation is proud to stand today beside our friends with the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry and our fellow business families in support of S.744 the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act. We believe this bipartisan immigration bill is a balanced reform bill, it includes fair and workable farm labor provisions, and it will help ensure an adequate supply of farm labor. After Congress failed to pass…

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Gardenhire Says Illegal Immigrant Students Will Pay For Empty Seats in State Colleges

Chris Alto

The Gardenhire/White bills SB1014/HB863 granting in-state college tuition to illegal immigrant students are moving through their respective chambers.  As reported by The Tennessee Star, the Senate Education Committee passed Gardenhire’s bill last week in a 7-2 vote.  Yesterday, the House Education Subcommittee on Planning & Administration was passed on a voice vote by Republican members Harry Brooks, Mark White, Eddie Smith and Democrats John DeBerry and Johnnie Turner. Rep. Dawn White asked to be recorded as a no vote. The House bill is scheduled to be heard by the full Education Planning & Administration Committee next Tuesday, and the Senate bill has been referred to Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee. Gardenhire’s first attempt in 2014, never made it out of the Education Committee. The 2015 version of the Gardenhire/White bill passed the Senate 21-12. Despite a 49-47 House vote in favor of the bill it failed to achieve the constitutionally required 50 vote minimum. Illegal immigrant students including any student granted a temporary two-year deferred deportation under Obama’s DACA program, are ineligible for federal financial aid for school. However, states and individual schools have discretion to provide financial assistance. Tennessee’s HOPE lottery scholarship can be used at both four…

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Gardenhire and White Broaden Scope of In-State Tuition Bill to Cover More Illegal Immigrant Students, Including ‘Unaccompanied Alien Children’

Chris Alto

State Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) and State Rep. Mark White (R-Chattanooga) have broadened the scope of the 2017 version of the in-state tuition for illegal immigrant students bill they have introduced to the current session of the Tennessee General Assembly. The 2015  Gardenhire/White bill that would have given in-state tuition to illegal immigrant students was restricted to grantees of Obama’s 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The 2017 version of the bill now applies to illegal immigrant students classified in the “Unaccompanied Alien Child” (UAC) category of immigration status. In his much publicized radio meltdown with WWTN’s Ralph Bristol on Friday, Sen. Gardenhire described an illegal immigrant his bill would provide in-state tuition benefits to as “somebody that’s got a 4.0 average, was the valedictorian of their class.” But some UACs who would potentially be eligible for these taxpayer funded tuition breaks are not exactly the model citizens Gardenhire described. In 2013, sixteen year old Edwin Mejia, a UAC from Honduras, was transported to Tennessee and released into the custody of his brother, an illegal immigrant living north of Nashville in Madison, Tennessee. The following year the two brothers moved to Nebraska where Edwin struck and killed 21-year old…

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Legislators Who Give In-State Tuition to Illegal Immigrant Students Are Voting to Violate State Law

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

Last week when the state’s Senate Education Committee voted to give in-state college tuition to illegal immigrant students, the seven committee members that passed SB1014 also voted to violate a 2012 Tennessee law. By voting to pass SB1014, Senators Gresham, Tate, and Tracy voted against the “Eligibility Verification for Entitlements Act” (EVEA), the law they had each voted to pass in 2012. Bill sponsor Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) and Senators Crowe, Dickerson, and Haile also voted yes. Senators Hensley and Kelsey voted no. Sen. Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville) was a named co-sponsor of the EVEA. The 2012 EVEA, which the  TN Board of Regents’ General Counsel confirmed last week, classifies in-state tuition is a state benefit. The EVEA requires that: “…every state governmental entity and local health department shall verify that each applicant eighteen (18) years of age or older, who applies for a federal, state or local public benefit from the entity or local health department, is a United States citizen or lawfully present in the United States in the manner provided in this chapter.” Only U.S. citizens and “qualified aliens” are considered eligible to apply for benefits under this Tennessee law which defines “qualified alien” by referencing federal law.…

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Haslam’s ‘Drive to 55’ Used to Give In-State Tuition to Illegal Immigrant Students

Chris Alto

During this week’s sessions in a House Education Subcommittee and the Senate Education Committee, Governor Haslam’s education agenda “Drive to 55” was the reason given for needing to pass bills that make illegal immigrant students in Tennessee eligible for in-state college tuition. “Drive to 55″ refers to Haslam’s higher education reform umbrella that includes the TN Promise, LEAP,  TN Reconnect and TN Advise” programs which are each intended to “increase the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary degree or credential to 55 percent by the year 2025.” Tennessee Star previously reported that Rep. White and Sen. Todd Gardenhire were carrying two sets of bills (SB104/HB863 and SB635/HB660), that if passed, would make in-state college tuition rates available to illegal immigrant students. On Tuesday, Rep. Mark White’s bill, HB660 which would authorize the new college and university governing boards to decide which students are eligible to pay in-state tuition rates was taken up by the House Education Administration & Planning Subcommittee. Almost immediately, Rep. Harry Brooks asked White whether he “intended this bill to create a mechanism for folks who are illegally in the country” to get in-state tuition? White admitted “that is where this thought came from.” He also admitted that…

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Nashville Democrat State Rep. Brenda Gilmore Opposed Illegal Immigration Ten Years Ago

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

Prior to being elected as a Democrat to represent Davidson County’s 54th district in the Tennessee General Assembly, State Rep. Brenda Gilmore (D-Nashville) served on the Metro Council of Nashville and Davidson County from 1999-2007. During her last year serving on the Metro Council, Gilmore sponsored Resolution No.RS2007-1753, “A Resolution requesting Senator Lamar Alexander, Senator Bob Corker and the Davidson County Congressional Delegation to introduce and support comprehensive legislation to address illegal immigration issues.” Gilmore cited the following concerns justifying her resolution: “WHEREAS, due to its abundance of construction-related jobs, the Nashville area has become a magnet for illegal immigrants in recent years; and WHEREAS, the rising cost of providing government services to illegal immigrants is having a tremendous negative impact on our state and local government; and WHEREAS, as a result of the increasing number of criminal offenders arrested in Nashville that are undocumented aliens, Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall recently gained approval from the federal government for Nashville’s participation in the 287(g) program, which will provide enhanced communication and cooperation between federal immigration authorities and local law enforcement to help identify and initiate deportation proceedings on criminal illegal immigrants; and WHEREAS, recent polls have documented the public’s frustration…

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Refugee Resettlement and Illegal Immigration Driving Up Education Costs in Tennessee

Chris Alto
Refugees

The TN Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) is among the most aggressive opponents to the legislature’s constitutional challenge to the federal refugee resettlement program and to current and past legislative efforts to reduce illegal immigration to Tennessee.  However, TIRRC takes credit for “helping to pass a bill to increase statewide funding for English language learner (ELL) programs in public schools by $30 million.” As the legal and illegal immigrant population in Tennessee has grown, so has the cost to state and local taxpayers to teach non-English speaking students in the state’s public schools. State funding for English Language Learner (ELL) services in Tennessee public schools has increased annually bringing the 2012 $49 million up to $65.8 million in fiscal year 2016.  The required local share has increased from $21 million to $28.2 million during the same time. In September 2016,  Metro Nashville Public Schools sued the state wanting more money for ELL services, alleging that the state did not meet the Basic Education Program funding formula and as such, state funding was inadequate to pay for the proper ratio of students to teachers and translators. Tennessee Department of Education spokeswoman Sara Gast wrote that the state had provided $220 million in new…

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Randy Boyd Endorses ‘Partnership for a New American Economy’ Approach to Illegal and Legal Immigration

Chris Alto

Gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd is a named member of the Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE). The PNAE has shortened its name to “New American Economy” but hasn’t changed its advocacy for comprehensive immigration reform which highlights the work ethic and perceived business ambitions of legal and illegal immigrants over native-born Americans. Founded in 2010, the PNAE is a powerful and well-funded coalition led by business leaders and chambers of commerce which formed to convince the public and policymakers that comprehensive immigration reform like the 2013 “Gang of Eight” amnesty bill would help grow the economy and create jobs for Americans. Included in PNAE’s “15 key economic issues of immigration reform in America” are: Supporting legal status for the 11.4 million undocumented immigrants which PNAE says pay taxes and do the jobs American citizens won’t do, and despite being in the country illegally, “even start their own businesses.” In a 2014 Wall Street Journal oped, PNAE co-founder Rupert Murdoch said that illegal immigrants who are already here should be provided a path to citizenship. Supporting resettlement of refugees who PNAE says that after living in the U.S. between 16-25 years are earning well above the income of refugees who have been here…

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Illegal Immigrant Students Scheduled to Lobby for In-State College Tuition

Chris Alto

Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRCC) is organizing another effort for illegal immigrant students and allied educators to lobby state legislators for in-state college tuition benefits for these students. “Tuition Opportunity Dreamers and Educators Day on the Hill” is scheduled for March 22, 2017, and TIRRC wants all “undocumented youth and educators” to join them at the capitol: “Over the years, we’ve built a broad support for undocumented youth to have the opportunity to pay in-state tuition at Tennessee’s public colleges and universities. On March 22, 2017, we’ll be bringing undocumented youth, educators, and allies from across the state to demonstrate to our representatives at the state legislature that every student deserves a fair chance to obtain a college education, regardless of their immigration status. SAVE THE DATE!!! …We will meet at the Nashville Public Library in Downtown on 615 Church St, Nashville, TN 37219. An agenda and logistics will be announced soon!” This year’s legislative session is the third time that TIRRC, illegal immigrant students and their allies will have lobbied for the in-state college tuition benefit. TIRRC’s Nashville offices are housed in the building owned by Conexion Americas whose founder and director, Renata Soto who was elected chairman…

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