Roughly 300 Afghan refugees are headed for Nashville, but one of the organizations taking them in refused to say Monday whether someone or some entity is vetting those refugees for health or security risks.
Staff at the Islamic Center of Nashville did not return The Tennessee Star’s repeated requests for comment Monday.
Executive Director of the American Muslim Advisory Council for Middle Tennessee told the Nashville-based WSMV on Monday that the number of Afghan refugees headed to Nashville is 300.
The Nashville-based News Channel 5 reported Monday that the Islamic Center of Nashville helped collect items for Afghanistan refugees last weekend.
Some 44 Afghan refugees who were brought to the U.S. were flagged as potential national security threats in the last two weeks.
A measles outbreak occurred last week among Afghan refugees who recently arrived at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. Fort McCoy is one of the military bases housing thousands of Afghan refugees after recent evacuation attempts because of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
The Tennessee-based Bridge Refugee Services announced last week that they were preparing to accept more Afghan refugees and send them to East Tennessee.
Governor Bill Lee has declined to say what action, if any, he deems necessary to respond to new Afghan refugees.
Lee did not publicly state late last month whether he wants Tennessee to take in Afghan refugees. Two of the state’s other top Republicans, however, made their opinions known.
Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) said he doubted whether taking in Afghan refugees is wise.
“I do not have confidence in the Biden administration’s vetting process concerning the refugee issue, much less his ability to work with law enforcement and immigration officials,” Sexton said.
“His administration has been a failure on both immigration and foreign policy. Therefore, I do not think it is a good idea for Tennessee to accept Afghan refugees.”
Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge), meanwhile, said it’s important that the government “halt illegal immigration, protect our borders and limit those entering our nation.”
“Afghanistan is a unique situation. For nearly 20 years, we have had a significant military presence there and solicited help from many inside the country to fight against the Taliban,” McNally said.
“Those that helped us are now at risk. Our nation should do everything it can to assist legitimate and authentic political refugees from Afghanistan in finding new places to call home.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Afghan Refugees” by ResoluteSupportMedia. CC BY 2.0.
And Lee hides in the corner and accepts this invasion without a peep. IN other words he approves. We know he loves “refugees”. I suggest that he lets them all move in with his family. I lived through a literal invasion of Vietnamese in Houston. They destroyed the oyster fishing industry for many years by dumping their human waste into Galveston Bay. They overloaded the public schools. They refused to assimilate. They took over a large section of southwest Houston with no intent to conform. Now the street signs are in Vietnamese. If you have any question about what happens with uncontrolled immigration just go down to the Nolensville/Antioch/Murfreesboro area and look around. But be sure to do it during daylight hours.
As a native Nashvillian I couldn’t agree more. Lee has been a failure as our Governor!
Y’all need to throw out the welcome mat for these pilgrims.
Give them a place to live in the Gulch along with some Titans and Predators tickets.
You’ll love them.
They need to come here. This place can use some intellectuals
You’re obviously deranged! Not that I disagree with “this place can use some intellectuals”
We don’t need refugees siphoning tax dollars; may be terrorists; bringing sharia law!
A Pew Research poll showed 99% of Afghanis want Sharia law. Sharia law is not compatible with our U.S. Constitution in any shape, form or fashion. Here are a few examples: women are deemed inferior by their god, must stay at home and only go out accompanied by a male member of their family,. Wives can be beaten by their husbands for disobeying them. Gays and apostates should be killed.
Islam means submission and all Kafirs (non-Muslims) are to submit to the Sharia. Kafirs can be deceived and should not be taken as friends. Rape and violence are tactics of jihad used to incite fear and submission and is part of the doctrine of Political Islam made sacred by the traditions of Mohammed and his god Allah. These tactics are being used on a regular basis in Britain and Western Europe by the jihadis that have migrated there.
There is no Golden Rule in Islam. We will reap what we sow by welcoming this Trojan horse into our Shining City on the Hill.
you’re right on, wolf woman!
Nice job! Lee, pat yourself on the back on a job well done. Never have I seen a 1 term Governor shoot themselves in the foot as many times as you have. Even crooked Don Sunquist was a better Governor than you.