RELEASE: House Committee Advances Hateful Anti-Refugee Bills Instead of Working to Find Real Solutions for All Tennesseans
PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 4, 2020
CONTACT: Hamp Price, hamp@tirrcvotes.org
Amid global pandemic and civil unrest, lawmakers attempt to bar refugees from finding safety and opportunity in the state.
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee General Assembly today advanced two measures aimed at challenging and dismantling the refugee resettlement program in the state.
The House State Committee voted to advance HB1929 (Gant) and HB1578 (Griffey). Both legislators’ proposals directly undermine the Governor's authority to consent to refugee resettlement in the state, and HB1578 sets a dangerous precedent of unnecessary oversight of local government.
Next week, the Senate will also debate HJR 0741 (Weaver), a resolution to condemn Governor Lee's decision to welcome refugees and to challenge his authority to do so. HJR 0741 passed the House of Representatives before the legislature adjourned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The following is a statement from Lisa Sherman-Nikolaus, policy director at TIRRC Votes:
“These bills are trying to give the legislature the power to end refugee resettlement by taking away the authority from Governor Lee. But a court already did that.
At this moment, only the president has the authority to resettle refugees - not governors or state legislators - and due to the global pandemic, refugee resettlement has essentially come to a halt. Only 50 refugees have been resettled in Tennessee since January.
With compounding crises and hardships facing Tennesseans, it is unfathomable that our legislators are spending valuable time and resources debating three separate pieces of legislation to end refugee resettlement.”
The following is a statement from Judith Clerjeune, policy and legislative affairs manager at TIRRC Votes:
“Our state and our country are facing a historic and unprecedented moment. While a global pandemic is threatening the lives and livelihood of millions of Tennesseans, further exposing deep structural and systemic inequalities in our society, the last week has seen millions of Americans seeking justice for police violence against Black communities.
While many Tennesseans, including refugees, are worried they won't be able to put food on their tables, stay healthy while going to work, or be safe from police violence, the legislature is wasting time and resources sowing further division instead of working to find real solutions for our families and communities.
Tennesseans are hurting deeply, and our lawmakers need to be focused on passing policies that ensure we all have access to healthcare and economic relief to weather this crisis, that Black and Brown communities can be safe from police violence, and that all workers have the protections they need to provide for their families while keeping themselves and their communities safe. We need bold leadership, not fruitless attacks on refugees, to make sure all Tennesseans can pull through these times together.”
Context:
In September 2019, President Trump issued an executive order, requiring governors and county executives where refugees are resettled to opt-in to continuing refugee resettlement in their communities. In December, Governor Lee provided consent for refugee resettlement in Tennessee. In all, more than 40 governors, including 19 Republicans, and hundreds of counties across the country granted consent. A temporary nationwide injunction was placed on President Trump’s executive order on January 15, 2020 by Judge Peter J. Messitte of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. The injunction remains in place as the case continues through the courts.
While the 2020 legislative session is focused on undermining the Governor's consent, efforts to erode support for refugees have long been tactics used by a fringe group of far right extremists.
In 2011, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the Refugee Absorptive Capacity Act, which required the Tennessee Office for Refugees to provide quarterly reports to state and local governments about resettlement.
In 2013, Tennessee General Assembly commissioned a report by the state fiscal review committee on the “federal cost-shifting” to the state which found that refugees were a net economic gain for the state. While the state had expended approximately $753 million on refugees and their descendants, it was estimated that the state had earned at least $1.386 billion during the same period from refugees and their descendants.
In 2016, Representative Weaver was the House sponsor of the resolution that initiated Tennessee v. United States - a lawsuit that challenged the federal government’s authority to resettle refugees. The lawsuit has been thrown out by two federal courts, and an appeal to have it reviewed by the full panel of judges in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals was also rejected. The legislature has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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TIRRC Votes was launched in 2018 to strengthen and expand our democracy by building power in immigrant and refugee communities and advocating for equitable and inclusive public policy. TIRRC Votes is affiliated with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC).