Image Credit: State Representative Jeremy Faison / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
As illegal immigration remains one of the top issues for Tennessee Republican voters, Representative Jeremy Faison continues to stand in opposition to legislation that could have disenrolled illegal aliens from public schools and significantly eased the taxpayer burden on education.
Carried by House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44) and Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson-District 11) this past legislative session, HB0793/SB0836 was written to allow school districts the options of charging out-of-county tuition or refusing to enroll or disenrolling illegal alien students from public schools.
The bill sponsors also intended for the legislation to ultimately go before the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge its 1982 ruling on Plyler v Doe which decided that undocumented children must be given a free public education.
After passing the Senate in a narrow 19-13 margin, the bill was ultimately stalled in the House after backlash from immigrant rights groups and concerns that the bill could cause a lapse in federal funding, though the sponsors have indicated intent to revive it next year.
Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby-District 11) has stood against the legislation since its inception and aligned with Democrats by being the only Republican to vote against it on the House Government Operations Committee.
In press interviews, where he appeared with Democrats to critique the bill, he called it a “political stunt” and said he was “a big fat no” because “literally nobody” in his district wanted its passage. “The notion of using a child for a political opportunity, for me it’s just really narrow minded,” he remarked.
While he later walked back some of his comments, saying he shouldn’t have questioned the motives of Lamberth and Watson, he remained steadfast in his disapproval of the bill itself. “I strongly oppose the state passing a bill that puts children, who have zero decision making power, in them middle of a legal battle,” he contended.
Should they revive the bill in 2026, Republican leadership anticipates again clashing with Faison, who wields significant influence as Chair of the House Republican Caucus.
The Tennessee Conservative contacted Rep. Faison to ask whether he is still opposed to the legislation, or a similar bill, being revived in 2026 and why or why not. There was no response.
Voters seem to concur with the assessment that Faison’s position is wildly out of touch with his constituency, evidenced by the results of a recent social media poll conducted by The Tennessee Conservative. The poll asked voters to agree or disagree with Faison’s policy position supporting 100% taxpayer-funded education for illegal aliens.
The results show that only 1.9% voted “Yes, we should pay,” while over 98% of respondents think, “No we should not”.
In response to the decisive results, Tennessee Conservative founder Brandon Lewis wrote, “When Rep. Faison was asked to relieve TN taxpayers from the $800,000,000 burden of educating Illegal Aliens in TN, he said he was a ‘Big, Fat No!’ He said his district ‘didn’t want it’. How do you think he arrived at this conclusion?”
Comments across the social media posts were filled with critiques and chastisements of Faison, including calls for the Representative to front the cost out of his own pocket and unhappiness with his apparent unwillingness to appropriately represent the interests and priorities of his constituents.
“He’s an establishment, pro-government, anti-liberty hack. Does not belong in the Republican Party,” wrote one individual. “What part of illegal does he not understand?” said another.
A Tennessee public school teacher stated, “This is the biggest issue in public schools here, and it’s not particularly close. Literally anyone from anywhere on the planet can move to your random small town and enroll their child tomorrow.”
“It’s not the child’s fault they are illegal, but the taxpayers should not fund the education for a child that doesn’t belong here,” read one comment.
Some took a more humorous approach like asking, “Is he a Special Needs Representative or just completely out of touch with the Voters of Tennessee? Lol,” while still others used more vivid descriptions including calling Faison an “arrogant moron” and even “Lucifer’s own RINO puke.”
But the general sentiments amongst respondents seem best summarized by this statement, “I never agreed to sponsor these people. I pay taxes with the belief that our community, county, and state will use the money to maintain themselves, not provide every life service to people here illegally making more money than me and sending it all back to Mexico.”
With the Trump administration continuing its crusade against illegal immigration, it is likely the issue will arise again during Tennessee’s 2026 legislative session with continued contentions amongst Republicans.
About the Author: 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.
One Response
He NEEDS to be removed from chairmanship of the House Republican Caucus.