RINOs Allow Commercial Airline To Transport Illegal Aliens To Tennessee
Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov & canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
At approximately 9 am on Monday morning, KWAM reported in an X post that a jetliner “filled with illegals” had taken off from Laguardia Airport in New York City and was headed for Memphis.
Tennessee Republicans had a chance this year during the legislative session to ban the mass transportation of illegal aliens into the state. RINO lawmakers killed the proposed legislation and are seeking reelection in the Republican primary.
A look at the Flight Aware website shows the most likely flight corresponding with KWAM’s post to be a Republic Airways flight. The flight was scheduled to leave New York at 8:30 AM Central Time and land in Memphis at 10:29 AM Central Time.
The Tennessee Conservative has reached out to Republic Airways to ascertain whether they had a government contract to transport illegal aliens within the United States. We will update this article if or when we hear back from the airline.
Below are this year’s bills that may have prevented the transportation of illegal aliens into the state:
HB2078/SB2802, sponsored by Rep. Bryan Richey (R-Maryville-District 20) and Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald-District 28), sought to prohibit any person from transporting an illegal alien into the state, increase fines for transporting illegal aliens into the state from $1000 to $5000, and remove current exemptions from fines in Tennessee law for commercial carriers.
The “common carriers” portion of the bill would have applied to the commercial airliner that reportedly is delivering illegal aliens to Memphis.
The Senate bill was voted down by three Republicans in the Senate Judiciary Committee along with two Democrats. Republicans Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga-District 10), Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol-District 4) and Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield-District 23) voted against the bill’s progression.
In the House, the bill had progressed to its final committee assignment but was taken off notice after the legislation’s failure in the Senate.
However, in the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, Republican Reps. John Gillespie (R-Memphis-District 97) and Dan Howell (R-Cleveland-District 22) voted against the bill’s progression.
HB2432/SB2034, sponsored by Rep. Andrew Farmer (R-Sevierville-District 17) and Sen. Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains-District 8), sought to increase the fines for transporting illegal aliens into the state for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain from $1000 to $5000.
The Senate bill was taken off notice by Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga-District 10) – chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee – before Niceley could present the bill. SB2034 was subsequently “general-subbed,” meaning the bill would not have the opportunity to be heard in the 2024 session. Due to the failure of the bill in the Senate Committee, HB2432 never progressed past its first subcommittee assignment, and was never heard.
Of note, while Memphis isn’t a sanctuary city, former Mayor Strickland emphasized in the past that the city has a “welcoming stance” toward immigrants. To that end, Strickland has stated that the Memphis Police Department should not be involved in enforcing any federal immigration policies.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
It figures,
follow the money
Please read both the law that was passed in 2007 and remains in the Tennessee Code which addresses the transporting of “illegal aliens” into Tennessee. The Hensley/Richey bill did not define the essential term “illegal alien” which was problematic especially for people who have unadjudicated petitions for asylum (those who have actually filed the petition). While these people enter and remain here without a lawful immigration status, the law protects them while their petition is pending. Regardless, the Hensley/Richey bill didn’t amend out the exemption for common carriers as in this case, the KLM airline for transporting whoever the news has labeled the illegal alien. Nor did the bill take away the affirmative defense of transporting for religious purposes. The question that begs to be explained is how does the TN Conservative think the Hensley/Richey bill v. the TN law that’s been in place since 2007, somehow aligns with the headline of this piece?
You refer, in lawyerly language, to loopholes in the law that have been used, among many other means, to achieve a flux of close to ten million illegal aliens into the USA over the last few years, with ongoing disastrous results. Congratulations.
that is precisely the point and that the Hensley/Richey bill didn’t fix these loopholes, so why does the TN Conservative insist that had this bill been passed, the transporting of illegal aliens would have been stopped? I’m all for fixing the law if indeed it could be something enforceable and would do what the sponsors tell everyone it will do. I also don’t think it’s helpful for the TN Conservative to characterize or describe legislation as something that it isn’t. And BTW, Kerry Roberts is hardly a RINO – he was the only TN senator who seriously undertook and did in fact, repeal the Shane Reeves law that made people without lawful immigration status, including the parolees that the AG is suing over, eligible for state issued commercial and professional licenses.
We have less than 2 1/2 months to go in primary season conservatives so let’s not waste another minute getting angry at Todd Gardenhire (TLRC-67/B-) yet again. Rather this is the time for action in the form of grabbing your checkbook and sending your most significant contribution to Ed LeCompte https://www.edfortnsenate.com/ who is running against Gardenhire so he can get the word out to the Republicans of the 10th District that they have a tepid conservative of a distinctly cooler variety for a state senator.
Nothing that any RINO does surprises me. I’m pretty sure I sat next to an illegal woman and child on my flight from Texas to Chattanooga. Neither spoke any English, and they had wristbands on. They were greeted by a group of Hispanic men when they got to the Chattanooga airport. Now when I think back I worry that the woman I thought was the little girl’s mother really wasn’t her mother, and the little girl was being trafficked.
We need to get the RINOS out, along with the illegals
Consider yourselves on notice RINO’s. You have exposed yourselves for the weak, traitorous, greedy pricks that you really are. You are worse than Dems because you pretend, then betray……at least the Dems don’t hide what demons they are, well, at least not anymore.
Amen Vote then out!!!!
Put them on a PLANE come November or a RECALL Election. These PUKES and lots of others a becoming Millionaires betraying America with these ILLEGAL ALIENS.
Amen Vote then out!!!!
The RINO brigade screws Tennesseans once again. Gardenhire should have been voted out years ago. Just how dirty are these RINOS? The press should do their job and follow the money.
Not surprised Senator Lundberg , the RINO from Bristol , was in on this , yet another disaster . He has got to go !
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