Governor Haslam announced today that instead of signing or vetoing the anti-sanctuary city bill he will allow it to become law without his signature:
I could sign it but that would mean that I agree that we have an issue around sanctuary cities.
In that regard, intentionally or not, the Governor has acknowledged last year’s attempt by the Metro Nashville Council to institutionalize its sanctuary city status.
An ordinance proposed last year by Metro Councilmen Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge (who is married to TIRRC’s co-director), was headed to a final vote before being withdrawn due to pressure from state legislators and the public. The bill, drafted with TIRRC’s assistance, would have made Nashville the most liberal non-deportation zone in the U.S., magnetizing Davidson County for criminal illegal aliens.
Specifically, the Mendes/Sledge proposal would have prohibited Metro Nashville employees from inquiring into anyone’s immigration status. Had it passed, the bill would have effectively enabled illegal aliens to access public benefits they would otherwise be barred from using. Additionally, the ordinance would not have violated the state’s 2009 anti-santuary city law, but would violate the new anti-sanctuary city law which expands the definition of what constitutes a sanctuary city policy:
“Sanctuary policy” means any directive, order, ordinance, resolution, practice, or policy, whether formally enacted, informally adopted, or otherwise effectuated, that:
(A) Limits or prohibits any state governmental entity or official from communicating or cooperating with federal agencies or officials to verify or report the immigration status of any alien;
(B) Grants to aliens unlawfully present in the United States the right to lawful presence within the boundaries of this state in violation of federal law;
(C) Violates 8 U.S.C. § 1373;
(D) Restricts in any way, or imposes any conditions on, a state or local governmental entity’s cooperation or compliance with detainers from the United States department of homeland security, or other successor agency, to maintain custody of any alien or to transfer any alien to the custody of the United States department of homeland security, or other successor agency;
(E) Requires the United States department of homeland security, or other successor agency, to obtain a warrant or demonstrate probable cause before complying with detainers from the department to maintain custody of any alien or to transfer any alien to its custody; or
(F) Prevents law enforcement agencies from inquiring as to the citizenship or immigration status of any person;
The expanded definition does more to deter Nashville’s efforts and may explain why some city council members who supported the Mendes/Colby ordinance have already lashed out at the Governor’s decision.
Nashville Mayoral candidate Erica Gilmore spoke passionately in favor of the ordinance on second reading and more recently urged the Governor to veto the bill.
Last year, almost immediately after the Metro Nashville Council to pass a sanctuary city ordinance on second reading, Diane Black, and Bill Lee, issued strong rebukes to the city’s move to violate federal and state law. Beth Harwell sought help from the Attorney General.
Among the GOP gubernatorial candidates Boyd has consistently been the last one to denounce sanctuary city policies.
During today’s press conference, Governor Haslam correctly stated that HB2315 is not a “mass deportation bill,” a label put on the bill by TIRRC to recklessly cause unnecessary fear and hysteria in immigrant communities. Neither is the bill related to the Bean Station workplace raid which Haslam said was a federal operation.
Opponents of the new law have insisted that the bill tracks the 2012 Arizona “show me your papers” law which was unanimously upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The new Tennessee law does not include the Arizona provision but instead, simply says a state or local entity cannot prohibit law enforcement from inquiring about a person’s immigration status. To that point, the during his press conference, the Governor referred to a bill passed in 2010, requiring jailers to determine the immigration status of a person in custody.
GOP gubernatorial candidate Diane Black co-sponsored that bill.
TIRRC and the usual leftist groups opposed the 2010 bill as well leveling identical argumen that they have made now in opposition to Tennessee’s expanded anti-sanctuary city law.
Both Diane Black and Bill Lee issued statements just days after HB2315, the expanded anti-sanctuary city bill was passed.
Black was the only gubernatorial candidate to call on the Governor to sign the bill. Bill Lee said if he were governor he would sign it. Beth Harwell voted for the bill so she is presumed to have wanted the bill to become law and signed the transmission to Haslam.
Again, Boyd was behind the pack. His campaign failed to issue a statement until a week after the other candidates. And when a statement was issued, it quoted Boyd campaign spokesman Chip Saltsman, not Boyd himself.
The Boyd campaign’s carefully worded statement avoided any opinion or preference as to whether he would like to see the bill signed by Haslam.
Watch Governor Haslam’s press conference:
WMC Action News 5 – Memphis, Tennessee
Randy Boyd is a carbon copy of the RINO Harlem!!!!
Boyd. Not a GOOD fit for TN small farmers, either.
I am so glad this bill will become law. My wife and I will be moving to Tennessee later this year to seek political asylum from the Socialist Republic of Vermont. Having been a Tennessee Star reader for almost a year now I feel I can state the following.
Make no mistake, Nashville appears to want to politically emulate the State of Vermont. Here liberals hold a super majority in the legislature, and even our “Republican” governor has stabbed those who elected him in the back over knee-jerk firearms legislation and allowing Vermont to become a sanctuary state. The list of liberal ills is long and burdensome. Tax, tax, tax. Proposed carbon tax, renewable energy mandate, GMO labeling law, socialized medicine, mandatory composting, gay marriage, gender neutral bathrooms, and the list of socialist programs goes on and on. Oh, and did I mention Vermont’s favorite mouthpiece Bernie Sanders. I have a great idea….why don’t all the people who want to turn Tennessee into a socialist utopia move to Vermont and save the rest of us from having to continually fight to retain our individual freedoms.
As I stated in my letter this past Sunday to Governor Haslam, if people want to move to our country they need to do it legally. To allow people to sneak in or overstay their visas is a slap in the face to those new Americans who followed to law to gain citizenship.
Steve Allen
Waitsfield, VT
Then vote for Carol Swain for Mayor!!
Often what is NOT said or done, ‘speaks’ more loudly than what is said or done. Most people don’t like to be deceived, and there is more than one way to deceive. Now we know who and what you are Randy Boyd. And Bill Haslam, you don’t matter much anymore–you are now just a has been.
It is totally within fellow conservative’s control whether we will have to tolerate this indecision of whether or not to do the right thing for another eight years. If we split our vote three ways at election time and the centrists, many tepid conservatives and the Democratic bench they use come election time vote for Randy! Boyd he will win. All conservatives have to do is unify behind the candidate most likely to beat Randy! and we will put an end to this nonsense. ANYBODY BUT BOYD!!!
I’m going to cry myself to sleep tonight. Diversity Is Our Strength!
Go cry in the cemetery with your boy toy….you’re voice is meaningless
This is Haslam’s in-kind contribution to the Boyd campaign.
He wanted to veto it. But if he did then The Chamber of Commerce’s man would have been required to take a stand.
Just so you know, the people can see through your ruse.
TIRRC is boo-hooing and whining on Twitter, pretending that this bill isn’t about illegal aliens but “immigrants.” And that this law is evil and is advancing “the politics of fear and bigotry.” Scary bigots? Name calling is the lowest form of argument and certainly not a basis for civil debate. But hey, what should we expect from TIRRC?
These $oros leftists and their Alinskyite acolytes, Renata Soto/Conexion Americas, Hedy Weinberger/ACLU and various Metro council members, can’t believe that Tennesseans don’t want more MS13 members, unlicensed drivers with no car insurance, and illegal aliens who commit crimes to be welcome with open arms in our state. They can’t believe that we think there should be consequences for breaking laws.
Is Boyd being blamed for what Haslam decided to do? Give me a break!
It’s fortunate, in a way, that Gov. Haslam was such a transparent coward on this bill, which he obviously wanted to veto (he knew it would be overridden and much of his dirty laundry would be aired so he didn’t do so). Everyone now knows that Randy Boyd is an open borders lunatic who like Karl Dean would turn Tennessee into a sanctuary state.
Bullet, narrowly missed. Thanks for flushing out your Mini-Me’s, Guv!
I knew he wouldnt sign it–at least he didnt Veto it which I half expected him to do