Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s budget proposal includes $735,000 for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. Now, high-ranking Republicans are objecting to the funding. One says it could run afoul of state law.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who’s also running for governor, posted on X this week that the Metro Council should reject the funding for TIRRC. She called the group a “pro-illegal alien nonprofit.”
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton also came out against the proposal, saying it could count as sanctuary city activity, which is banned under state law. He added that Tennessee district attorneys general and the state comptroller are “watching this very closely.”
It’s not the first time Nashville’s mayor has faced scrutiny around immigration issues; last year, federal officials investigated claims Metro policies could undermine law enforcement, and the state landed on a Department of Homeland Security list of sanctuary cities.
In a statement to Fox 17, a spokesperson for the mayor wrote the funds are to help eligible immigrants pursue lawful pathways to maintaining or adjusting their legal status. They write that the need for these services has increased in recent years with changes to immigration policy. TIRRC’s executive director, Lisa Sherman Luna, wrote in a statement to the outlet that investing in accessible, high-quality legal services for immigrants “isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s smart for the social and economic fabric of our city.”
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