Image Credit: Gov. Bill Lee / Facebook & Tennessee Conservative News / X
On Monday morning, The Tennessee Conservative posted a poll on X asking participants to grade Governor Bill Lee’s performance on stopping illegal immigration in the state.
The results show that over 350 participants, roughly 70% of the voters, awarded Lee an “F-poor, ” with numerous commenters offering examples and opinions or simply writing “F”s if they missed the opportunity to participate in the original poll.
One Facebook user commented, “The Governor and the general assembly are very weak… [they] have failed our state miserably. Our state leaders should be thrown out of office.”
A comment from an X user said, “Time to reclaim State sovereignty and the 10th Amendment…No illegals should be dumped on already stressed local governments.”
Another even goes so far as to say, “I cannot safely leave my home due to all the criminal illegal aliens. That’s Treason in my mind.”
And several others seem to agree with the sentiment, “Bill Lee is a wolf in sheep clothing. He’s not a true Conservative. He is too interested in making money than cutting Government,” implying Lee and many other state leaders are RINOs.
Governor Lee has found himself the subject of much scrutiny as illegal immigration continues to be one of Tennessee’s biggest voter issues, and Lee’s track record of dealing with the issue over the past several years has certainly not won him any fans.
Lee has continually remained silent on the issue, not responding to requests for comments but joining other Republicans in pointing the finger at the federal government yet quietly adopting soft stances on immigration policies for many years.
A prime example can be found in 2019 when Lee issued a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo authorizing “refugee resettlement” in Tennessee, making Tennessee one of only a few Republican-led states that allows ‘resettlement’ of this nature.
Although there is a clear difference between a “refugee” and an “illegal immigrant,” some have speculated that this approval is what the Biden-Harris Administration has used as an excuse to dump illegal immigrants off in the Volunteer State.
The Governor has also displayed a willingness to sign bipartisan legislation into law amplifying the magnet drawing illegals to Tennessee.
For example, in 2022, House Bill 2309/Senate Bill 2464, paved the way for non-U.S. citizens to obtain professional and commercial licenses in Tennessee, thereby increasing magnets for illegal aliens to migrate and to successfully habitate in the state.
34 House Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 15 Senate Republicans voted in favor. Governor Lee had the power to veto the bill but signed it into law only four days after it landed on his desk.
Yet while Tennessee citizens were protesting gross governmental overreach and being harassed, assaulted, and killed by illegal aliens, Lee took it upon himself to call a special legislative session to ask the state to support a multi-million dollar commitment to a Ford mega plant instead of taking action to support legislation protecting Tennesseans by stemming the flow of illegal immigration into the state.
While some bills from the 2024 legislative session appeared to somewhat strengthen Tennessee’s stance against illegal immigration and its repercussions, more bills failed which would have taken proactive and aggressive measures to secure the sanctity and security of Tennessee. None were supported by Lee’s administration.
It is unknown at this point if the legislature will attempt to address illegal immigration in the upcoming session as most efforts championed by conservative Tennessee Representatives and Senators have been killed by other Republicans.
To see the full timeline detailing the extent illegal immigration has impacted Tennessee, click here.
Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
2 Responses
Lee needs a state audit done
This is the fault of TN voters for not paying attention in 2022 with Lee’s re-election. All of this information was in their faces but they voted to re-elect him. It’s the same situation we run into with every primary election. They vote for the weak GOP candidate and believe the attack flyers (lies and made up controversies) put out by weak GOP incumbents. Then the Dems all turn out to vote for the weak GOP candidate and the real conservative loses. Rinse and repeat.