Tennesseans Stand Up Against Illegal Immigration At Protect Tennessee’s Borders Rally At State Capitol
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
Over 200 Conservative Tennesseans lined the steps of the State Capitol on Wednesday afternoon in support of The Tennessee Conservative’s Protect Tennessee’s Borders Rally.
This rally was held in light of all the circumstances outlined in this recent Illegal Immigration Timeline, which includes conservative legislation killed by GOP lawmakers that would have:
• Allowed local law enforcement to enforce immigration law.
• Stopped the taxpayer funding of illegal immigrant education.
• Relocated illegal immigrants from Tennessee to blue states.
• Cut off job magnets in the state through e-verification.
• Required immigration status checks for voting.
“If they can call a special session to give woke Ford Motor Company $2 billion for its failing electrical green new deal division, they can certainly stop illegal immigration with a special session,” stated The Tennessee Conservative’s Brandon Lewis.
Folks traveled in from all over the state this week, hoping to finally grab the attention of Tennessee’s Republican leadership on the issue of illegal immigration.
One rally attendee whose grandparents legally immigrated to the U.S. said, “I’m here to support the law. I’m here to support securing our borders, protecting Americans, and reinstating the law in this country.”
“If you set foot in this country, if you cross the border illegally you are a criminal. You have broken the law, and you need to go,” she continued. “It’s not just South America, it’s not Central America, it is all over the world. […] We have no clue who’s in this country.”
Another attendee whose husband legally immigrated to the U.S. from India, recounted their experience with the legal immigration process.
“We went through five years of processing papers, over $10,000 spent of mine and his hard-earned money to get his green card and then eventually become a citizen of the United States, which he is now legally a U.S. citizen,” she said. “So, there is a process and basically if people cannot follow that, they should not be allowed in. It’s really that simple. Even if they need to seek asylum, seek it through immigration. Seek it the right way.”
Among the large group of supporters, there was also a small group of around 10-12 counter-protestors who showed up to protest this grassroots attempt at protecting Tennessee’s borders.
One of these counter-protestors even made her way into the crowd, physically knocking down two event volunteers and flipping an event table over, scattering papers and broken glass across the Capitol steps.
Following the rally, another counter-protestor explained why he was protesting the event saying, “I think we have to be very very careful with what kind of dog whistle politics we allow because what we open the door for today,” he continued, “will barrage through tomorrow in terms of you know, hateful right…I don’t even want to call it right-wing because I think it’s unfair to right-wingers…It’s hateful, you know, neo-Nazi rhetoric and neo-fascist rhetoric that will undermine the security of the United States.”
Despite the dissenting party that would call this rally and actions taken by lawmakers to stop illegal immigration, somehow racist and xenophobic, several of Tennessee’s more conservative lawmakers had the courage to speak at Wednesday’s rally.
Amidst the cries of counter-protesters, Sen. Janice Bowling spoke on constitutional rights and her nullification bill.
“We have state boundaries. We have our U.S. boundaries and without boundaries, you are not a nation, you are not a people,” said Sen. Bowling. “We have created ways for people to come into this country legally.”
She also went on to share the story of her current legislative assistant who is from Honduras and has legally immigrated to the U.S.
“She has gotten a job legally, and she will be earning her green card legally, and she will become a citizen of the United States of America,” Sen. Bowling stated as the crowd cheered.
Sen. Mark Pody also spoke, requesting those that are “physically able and spiritually inclined” to join together for a month of prayer and fasting in July.
“We’re not going to solve our nation’s or our state’s issues by more laws,” said Sen. Pody. “We’re gonna solve it by spiritual revival, by us standing up.”
Rep. Bryan Richey spoke on his legislation that would hold common carriers like Delta, Amtrack, and Greyhound accountable for importing illegal aliens into Tennessee for financial gain.
“If you’re breaking the law, I don’t care what purpose you’re doing it for, you’ve gotta come into this country legally and follow our laws,” said Rep. Richey. “Why would the first act of you coming into our country be illegal?”
When Rep. Jody Barrett took the stage, he shared some staggering illegal immigration statistics specific to the State of Tennessee. According to these statistics:
• It is estimated that up to 80% of crime in Tennessee is due to a drug-related nexus.
• An estimated 800 methamphetamine labs are operating at any given time in Tennessee.
• According to the CDC, overdose deaths among adolescents aged 10-19 increased 109% from 2019 to 2021.
• Adolescent deaths involving illicit fentanyl increased 182%.
• Non-fatal overdoses among children 17 and under increased 163% from 2020 to 2022.
• Davidson County ranks as the 2nd worst metro area in the country for overdose deaths.
• Tennessee ranks number 5 in overdose deaths in the U.S.
“Fentanyl is driving that, and fentanyl is pouring across our border,” said Rep. Barrett, who went on to list out some illegal immigrant statistics
• Number of illegal immigrant encounters at the southwest border: 7,254,000
• Number of nationwide illegal immigrant encounters: 8.8 million
• Number of known “got-aways”: 1.8 million
“That’s more people, more encounters than we have population here in Tennessee,” Rep. Barrett noted. “Think about that. The entire state of Tennessee has just poured across our borders, and they’ve walked right in. Not only have they walked right in, they’ve been welcomed with open arms.”
Conservative Candidate for State Senate, Chris Spencer, who is running against Sen. Ferrell Haile in District 18 also spoke at the rally.
Spencer’s presentation was followed by a speech from Grassroots Engagement Director for Americans for Prosperity-TN, Pamela Furr, who recounted her multiple trips to the Southern border and the progress of the border wall under several presidencies.
Host of the Mill Creek View Tennessee Podcast, Steve Abramowicz, spoke next reiterating the fact that “we the people” welcome legal immigrants and providing some startling insight into why Democrats are so opposed to halting illegal immigration.
To close out the presentations, Hamilton County Mom’s for Liberty Chapter Chair Rebecca Day spoke on how undocumented migrant children are often times given preferential treatment above native Tennessee children in our public schools and how this effects our education system overall.
Watch the Protect Tennessee’s Borders Rally in its entirety below & share to help get the TRUTH out there!
Remember the Four Pillars to Stopping Illegal Immigration in Tennessee.
#1: Stop the Taxpayer Funding of Illegal Alien Education
#2: Stop Paying any Welfare, Housing, or Entitlements for Illegal Aliens
#3: Criminalize/Penalize Companies for Mass Transporting Illegals to TN
#4: Compulsory E-Verify for all Tennessee Employment
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee.
You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
See the rally in it’s entirety here
https://rumble.com/v4kj8if-protect-tennessee-borders-rally-3-20-2024.html
I believe it was Americans for Prosperity-Tennessee State Director Tori Venable that insulted the citizens of our entire state.
Tori V. stated on some lil’-rinky-dink local talk show after billee was first elected that, voters need to research candidates for office.
Well U know wht tori most of us work away from home for 10-14 hrs a day.
Sometimes 2 jobs.
Do not hv access to resources wth accurate information re: candidates.
That’s the kind of information that is your job to disburse.
If we had known billee is what he is b4 his election Tennessee would not be teetering on the edge of becoming purple.
As for the billee highly over-rated school vouchers, it’s a scam.
It’s going to bite us on the arse.
One question, why should we continue funding the previous edu. K-12 when a student leaves to another school?
The m$n$y should always follow the student, vouchers should not be needed.
Not pay twice for the same student.
I am hopefull that Tennessee citizens will continue to hold the legislatures feet to the fire alond wth the back stabbing Shane Reeves, R-Sen.
That young lady needs to be charged and put in jail
Better watch out, when we took a stand against the Unconstitutional State Income Tax, Beth Harwell and Don Sundquist tried to sneak through, and he set his Swatt Goons on us. Called us Neanderthals. The same Beth Harwell was responsible for the 2nd Progressive Gas Tax.
It was a great event. We need more of those.
****
https://borderhawk.news/
Where was Gino?
I knew he wouldn’t stand on the steps of the capital with peers who call out the establishment corporate cronyism leadership.
Just saying they are so easy to spot when he gets a chairmanship next year like Clay Doggett did in his second term you will know they just added another lapdog stooge to the ranks of useful idiots!!
Say what! shut up Jimmy not our guy!! 🤣🇺🇸