Nonprofit Tied to Nashville ‘Belonging
Fund’ Behind Lawsuit over Tennessee
Law Criminalizing ‘Harboring or Hiding’
Illegal Immigrants
Posted By: philsner, 6/25/2025 8:51:59 AM
The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) is among the nonprofits behind the lawsuit filed last week by the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), a progressive Lutheran denomination with about 2.8 million members. Filed by the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP) at Georgetown Law, the American Immigration Council (AIC), and TIRRC with the ELCA Southeastern Synod as the primary plaintiff in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, the lawsuit targets Senate Bill (SB) 392. Signed by Governor Bill Lee last month, the law establishes the criminal offense of human smuggling
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
person likes this.
people like this.
person likes this.
Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "philsner"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Most Recent Articles posted by
philsner"
The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) is among the nonprofits behind the lawsuit filed last week by the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), a progressive Lutheran denomination with about 2.8 million members.
Filed by the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP) at Georgetown Law, the American Immigration Council (AIC), and TIRRC with the ELCA Southeastern Synod as the primary plaintiff in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, the lawsuit targets Senate Bill (SB) 392.
Signed by Governor Bill Lee last month, the law establishes the criminal offense of human smuggling
Mayor Freddie O’Connell told The New York Times on Monday that his administration’s decision not to comply with federal immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump will take a different strategy from other Democratic elected officials, with the mayor claiming himself to be uninterested in the “rhetorical check boxes” employed by national figures.
O’Connell’s administration is currently subject to a congressional investigation over his actions in response to a federal operation that saw nearly 200 illegal immigrants detained last month, which included the creation of a “Belonging Fund,” which his office announced as a partnership between the city and various nonprofits,
The Metro Nashville Council will vote on Tuesday on Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s request to establish the Mayor’s Office of Financial Empowerment, which would operate with grant funding from two nonprofit organizations.
Should the Metro Council approve the mayor’s request, the office would receive more than half of its funding through a grant from the Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE) Fund, but would also depend on nearly $130,000 from the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT), the nonprofit announced as Nashville’s partner for the “Belonging Fund” created in the wake of a federal immigration enforcement operation that saw nearly 200 illegal immigrants
Former Chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville Ben Schrader reportedly resigned from his post due to the “political” nature of the grand jury indictment against Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Abrego Garcia’s grand jury indictment, which was quietly filed on May 21 and unsealed on Friday, claims that human smuggling was his full-time occupation as he allegedly completed over 100 smuggling trips across the U.S., primarily transporting illegal aliens, including minors and members of the violent MS-13 gang.
The ten-page indictment further accuses Abrego Garcia of abusing women and children during transport,
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) on Thursday called for Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell to rescind the executive order, which he recently modified, mandating Metro Nashville employees report all contacts with federal immigration officials to O’Connell and the Office of New Americans.
“I’m calling on Mayor O’Connell to rescind executive order 30,” wrote Sexton in a statement posted to X. “This order has jeopardized the safety of federal and state agents to the extent that individuals are harassing and interfering in the lawful duty of these agents.”
As a consequence of the executive order, names of U.S. Department of Homeland Security
A resolution to be debated by the Metro Nashville Council this week to recognize “Immigrant Heritage Month” also condemns last month’s joint operation between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Tennessee Highway Patrol conducted in the city, which saw the arrests of 196 criminal illegal aliens.
The resolution, RS2025-1291, was filed on May 27 and is sponsored by Council Members Terry Vo, Jeff Preptit, Jennifer Gamble, Joy Styles, Antoinette Lee, Kyonzte Toombs, Brandon Taylor, Delishia Porterfield, Zulfat Suara, and Tasha Ellis.
The resolution begins by detailing the origins of Immigrant Heritage Month, explaining how the designation was started in 2014
Nashville Democrats Reportedly Contemplate
Recall for Councilman Who Appeared with
Rep. Andy Ogles 7 replies
Recall for Councilman Who Appeared with
Rep. Andy Ogles 7 replies
Two reports published Friday indicate Democratic activists in Nashville are considering an attempt to recall Metro Nashville Council Member David Benton due to his recent appearance with U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05), as well as a collection of state lawmakers and federal immigration officials, at a press conference announcing the congressional probe into Mayor Freddie O’Connell for his actions in response to federal immigration enforcement.
Both The Nashville Banner and The Tennessee Lookout published reports on Friday claiming a possible recall effort could be underway targeting Benton, with The Lookout specifically reporting that “Nashville Democrats” are behind the effort.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell said during a Friday press conference that he was “puzzled” by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s decision to designate Nashville a sanctuary city, claiming that the Metro government had worked to comply with a Tennessee law banning such cities in the Volunteer State.
The mayor also told reporters he is not worried about the congressional probe unveiled by U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) on Friday, which seeks information from the mayor and Metro Nashville over his actions in response to recent federal immigration enforcement in Tennessee, including O’Connell’s executive order mandating Metro employees report
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Silent
After Metro Accused of Leaking Names of
DHS Officials 8 replies
After Metro Accused of Leaking Names of
DHS Officials 8 replies
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell did not respond to multiple press inquiries from The Tennessee Star after Metro Nashville was accused of publicly leaking the names of U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Homeland Security Investigations officials who participated in the recent immigration enforcement operation that resulted in nearly 200 arrests of illegal immigrants.
O’Connell was accused of leaking the names on Wednesday by U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05), who noted that Metro Nashville published names of DHS and HSI officials to a Nashville data portal affiliated with the Metro Office of New Americans.
Tennessee State Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) on Wednesday joined other local elected leaders in a letter accusing President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Justice, and Republican officials across the country of attempting to intimidate local Democrats.
Sent by the progressive activist organization, Local Progress, the letter accuses Trump and other Republicans of attempting to intimidate Democrats through the criminal charges recently filed against U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10), who allegedly assaulted federal law enforcement at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in New Jersey.
It also raised the charges filed against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka,
Public records reveal that Conexion Americas, the second of three nonprofits Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell and his office said provided seed money to the “Belonging Fund,” used to “support immigrants in Nashville during moments of crisis,” received nearly $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money from Metro Nashville over 2023 and 2024.
The 2023 Full Cost Plan published by Metro Nashville revealed Conexion Americas received $394,140 in ARPA money that year, with the entry listed as “Conexion Americas Eviction Serv.” There was no overhead or other expenses reflected in the report, suggesting Metro Nashville merely transferred the money
Border czar Tom Homan said he plans to visit Nashville in the “near future” to oversee increased immigration enforcement operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as the city’s mayor, Freddie O’Connell, advances efforts to shield illegal aliens from law enforcement.
Earlier this month, a joint immigration enforcement operation conducted by ICE in conjunction with the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) in Nashville resulted in the arrests of 196 criminal illegal aliens.Despite the operation seeing the removal of aliens with violent criminal histories, O’Connell has maintained that the enforcement operation was “not focused” on making the city “safer,”
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s plan to create a network of city-owned grocery stores to drive down food costs is facing pushback from the industry, with the head of a Manhattan-based grocery chain threatening to sell or close the business if Mamdani is elected. John Catsimatidis, the CEO of grocery chain Gristedes, found fault with Mamdani’s plan, saying the business couldn't compete in the market if there are city-run supermarkets. "If the city of New York is going socialist, I will definitely close, or sell, or move or franchise the Gristedes locations," Catsimatidis told FOX Business. He will
This is a fair question from Matt Continetti, who recites some of the relevant quotations before posing it. I'll add to the list. President Bill Clinton described a nuclearlzed Iran as intolerable and signed the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000, "which authorize[d] him to take punitive action against individuals or organizations known to be providing material aid to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs in Iran." President George W. Bush intoned in 2008 that "permitting the world’s leading sponsor of terror to possess the world’s deadliest weapon would be an unforgivable betrayal of future generations."
Zohran Mamdani, winner of the Democratic Party’s New York City mayoral primary, is overflowing with Marxist ideas of how to govern that are so lousy that it’s hard to believe he got more than his own vote in Tuesday’s election. Each of them is horrendous, from free bus services to rent control to punitive taxes on those who create prosperity, but none are quite so laughable as his proposal to establish a chain of city-run grocery stores.
Mamdani’s campaign literature – overflowing with empty leftist jargon – says if elected he “will create a network of city-owned grocery stores focused on keeping prices low, not making a profit.”
Enjoying a surge of support from progressive and younger voters, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is a big step closer to becoming the first Muslim mayor of the nation's most populous city. While the Associated Press had yet to project a winner in New York City's Democratic Party mayoral primary Tuesday night, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo saw the writing on the wall, telling supporters at an election night gathering that Mamdani "won."
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assembly member from Queens who is originally from Uganda, topped the former three-term governor and nine other candidates in a crowded primary field in an election that was determined by ranked-choice voting.
The Iranian foreign ministry admitted that their nuclear facilities were “badly damaged” by U.S. strikes over the weekend after reports surfaced about a low-confidence U.S. intelligence assessment suggesting otherwise.
Numerous outlets reported Wednesday on an early intelligence assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggesting the U.S. strikes only set Iran’s nuclear program back a few months. The White House strongly disputed the intelligence assessment and criticized the leakers within the intelligence apparatus.
“This alleged ‘assessment’ is flat-out wrong and was classified as ‘top secret’ but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community.
Little-known Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani upset former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo for the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City on Tuesday night. The governor conceded the race shortly after 10 p.m., though ranked-choice voting totals have yet to be tabulated.
Self-described democratic socialist Mamdani led Cuomo by more than seven percentage points late Tuesday night, with almost 90 percent of the votes counted. Mamdani had 43.5 percent of the vote, with the former governor trailing at 36.3 percent when he conceded.
“Tonight was not our night,” Cuomo said in his remarks. “Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night.”
Iran’s supreme leader makes first public
statement since ceasefire declared in
Israel-Iran war 23 replies
statement since ceasefire declared in
Israel-Iran war 23 replies
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed victory over Israel and said his country had “delivered a hand slap to America’s face” on Thursday, in his first public comments since a ceasefire was declared in the war between the two countries.
Khamenei spoke in a video broadcast on Iranian state television, his first appearance since June 19.
He told viewers that the U.S. had only intervened in the war because “it felt that if it did not intervene, the Zionist regime would be utterly destroyed.”
But he said, however, that the U.S. “achieved no gains from this war.
Neera Tanden, former head of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council, admitted that she authorized autopen signatures without knowledge of who issued the final approval in a closed-door hearing before the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday, according to Fox News.
In her role as staff secretary, before she was moved to the Domestic Policy Council, Tanden “was responsible for handling the the flow of documents to and from the President,” sending decision memos to “Biden’s inner circle” and affixing the president’s autopen signature to the documents when she received approval. Tanden was not privy to any of the decision-making process or who was giving the final approval. She rarely interacted with Biden.
CNN last week got their hands on a classified document stolen from the National Security Agency. That’s a felony punishable by ten years in prison, by the way.
The stolen document guessed that the efforts by Israel and America to neutralize Iran’s nuclear weapon program had set back the program by only “a few months.”
CNN and the rest of the media cabal could hardly contain their glee. They celebrated the failure of America and Israel.
Hardly mentioned in CNN’s report was that the document itself noted that its conclusions were merely “preliminary” and were expressed with only “low confidence.”
Florida is about to make a bold statement in the ongoing national debate over illegal immigration, and it’s not just talk — it’s action.
The Sunshine State is rolling out a new approach that’s as tough as it is practical: setting up a string of detention centers specifically for illegal immigrants with criminal records. The centerpiece of this initiative is a facility tucked deep in the Everglades, built on the bones of an abandoned airfield, and already earning an unforgettable nickname from state officials: “Alligator Alcatraz.”
The name isn’t just for show.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier made it clear that this is no ordinary detention center.
Trump administration officials on Tuesday slammed a leaked preliminary intelligence assessment of the damage done to Iran’s nuclear facilities by weekend US airstrikes that the president has touted as a massive success.
The classified Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) bomb damage assessment — deemed a “low confidence” estimation of the effectiveness of Saturday’s strikes on the Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz sites — reportedly determined that Iran could bring its nuclear program back online as quickly as within one to two months, according to Fox News.
On the high end, estimates indicate that Iran could restart uranium enrichment within a year, according to those who viewed the DIA report.
For a brief window this week, President Donald Trump was out of the running for a Nobel Peace Prize, after a Ukrainian lawmaker withdrew his nomination on Monday for not ending the war there, and before Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., nominated him on Tuesday for the ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
You can imagine the guffaws and hair-pulling from the Trump-is-Hitler crowd at the thought that anyone would see him as a suitable candidate for this prize. But as much as we’d love to watch their heads explode as he walked up to accept the award, we think Trump should