A pair of bills by Republicans lawmakers that would penalize charitable organizations that serve immigrants — and potentially lead to their employees’ arrests — are drawing pushback from Tennessee faith leaders as an infringement on their religious freedom.
One bill (HB322/SB392) would create a new “human smuggling” crime for those who transport, encourage or induce ten or more adults to illegally enter or remain in the state by “concealing, harboring or shielding” them.
Organizations, including churches and other nonprofits, that commit or are “about to commit” the offense could be dissolved by the Tennessee Attorney General. And individuals who participate in inducing or encouraging activities – such as church staff, nonprofit employees or private company workers – could be subject to a Class E felony, punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine of up to $3,000.
A second bill (HB811/SB227) would open up charitable organizations to lawsuits if they have provided housing services to an individual without permanent legal immigration status and then that individual goes on to commit a crime.
Both measures could directly impact the routine charitable programs Tennessee churches and other nonprofits provide to individuals regardless of their immigration status, faith leaders said.
“I’m deeply concerned about how broad these bills are, and my fear is that any church that is seeking to help any immigrant could be penalized in some way,” said The Rev. Eric Mayle, pastor of Edgehill United Methodist Church in Nashville.
“And that prevents us from exercising our religious freedom to care for the vulnerable or stranger in our midst who we are commanded by Christ to care for,” he said.
Sen. Brent Taylor, a Republican from Memphis who is the chief sponsor of the bill aimed at housing services and a cosponsor of the human smuggling legislation, said both bills are designed to hold non governmental agencies, or NGOs, accountable for their roles in providing services that keep immigrants without legal status in Tennessee communities.
The bills are not intended to interfere with the charitable work of faith based groups, such as those that provide temporary shelters or English as a Second Language programs, as his own church offers, he said.
“I would remind the churches that even heaven has an immigration policy,” Taylor said. “You can’t climb over the wall in heaven. You can’t slick talk St. Peter into the gates of heaven. There’s a very specific way you come into heaven to become a resident of heaven. They’ve got a very strict immigration policy, and I don’t think its unreasonable for Americans to have an immigration policy that people follow.”
The bills are among an unprecedented slate of immigration-related legislation filed in the Tennessee Legislature this year. More than three dozen bills have been filed to restrict immigrants’ access to public services, including K-12 schools, or penalize those who aid them.
Sen. Brent Taylor, a Memphis Republican, is sponsoring a bill to hold charitable organizations legally accountable if an immigrant who has received housing from the organization commits a crime. “Even heaven has an immigration policy,” Taylor said. Photo: John Partipilo)
A sweeping measure signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday offers to significantly ramp up state involvement in immigration enforcement in collaboration with the Trump Administration.
The measure creates a new state enforcement office, provides grants as incentives for local law enforcement to take on immigrant enforcement duties, creates distinct drivers licenses for noncitizens and makes it a felony for public officials to back sanctuary policies. The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee pledged to bring a legal challenge to the law.
New ‘human smuggling’ offense
The proposal to create a new “human smuggling” offense would create a felony for knowingly transporting at least 10 adults or 5 children who lack permanent legal immigration status “for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain.”
The bill, Taylor and Rep. Jody Barrett, a Republican from Dickson, also creates a second misdemeanor offense for those who “encourage” at least 10 adults or 5 children without legal immigration status to enter or remain in Tennessee by “concealing, harboring or shielding” them from detection. The misdemeanor comes with a $1,000 penalty attached to each individual who was concealed, harbored or shielded.
Taylor referred questions about the granular details of the bill to its Barrett, its chief sponsor, who did not respond to messages seeking comment about the bill on Friday.
Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, noted the felony offense could broadly apply to construction site employees driven by van to worksites or nonprofits providing adults and children bus passes as part of their services.
The use of the word “encourage” to define the proposed new crime creates an added layer of vagueness to the bill,Luna said.
“By providing people food maybe you’re encouraging people to stay?” Luna said. “The point is they don’t define ‘encourages.’
The broad nature of the language could apply to nonprofit legal services providers that provide legal advice, food banks that distribute goods, churches that offer community services, immigrant-serving nonprofits that educate individuals about their rights, Luna noted.
‘The state cannot tell me how to operate my church’
Pastor Kevin Riggs of Franklin Community Church said he is concerned the bill to penalize organizations that provide housing assistance would have a direct impact on his church.
The bill is sponsored by Taylor and Rep. Rusty Grills, a Republican from Newbern. Neither lawmaker responded to a request for comment about the bill.
Riggs’ church assists low income individuals access housing programs, funded through a federal Housing and Urban Development program whose rules are at odds with the bill being proposed.
If there’s a person in front of us who has got need, we’re going to meet the need.
– Rev. Kevin Riggs, Franklin Community Church
“It would affect the work, Riggs said. “It’s put us in a bind, because you got the state telling you, you have to do one thing, and you have the federal government telling you, you can’t do that.”
Regardless of whether the bill ultimately becomes law, Riggs said his church would not veer from its Christian mission to help those in need.
“The state cannot tell me how to operate my church,” Riggs said.
“If there’s a person in front of us who has got need, we’re going to meet the need,” he said. “That’s part of our church’s mission, and for the state to tell us we cannot is a violation of our First Amendment rights to practice our religions in the way I believe we have been called.”
Taylor, in an interview with the Lookout, said his intent was for the bill to apply only to long term housing services provided by charitable organizations in Tennessee communities. While the language of the bill filed does not specify long term housing, Taylor said he would review the bill to possibly amend it.
“I’m not envisioning a homeless shelter,” he said. “What I envision is an NGO assisting them finding a longterm rental in a house or apartment, not an overnight stay in a homeless shelter. No one is trying to prevent illegal immigrants from seeking shelter on a cold winter night or from rain storm.
Nonprofits a new front in immigration enforcement
Churches, faith-based and other nonprofit organizations that work with individuals regardless of their immigration status are increasingly becoming targets of Republican-led efforts to clamp down on illegal immigration, according to Kristen Etter, director of policy and services at the Texas Immigration Law Council.
On Wednesday, Congressional republicans sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding an investigation into non-governmental agencies receiving public funding to work with immigrant populations. The letter, without evidence, accused nonprofit agencies of “knowingly assisting criminal aliens violating our immigration laws” and “operating a human smuggling campaign on the backs of U.S. taxpayers.”
Last month, influential conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation listed as its No. 1 immigration-related policy goal to repurpose public funding from immigrant-serving nonprofits – whom they accused of “facilitating the border crisis” – to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
As one of his first executive orders after taking office, President Donald Trump called on the U.S. Attorney General and the Department of Homeland Security to investigate the funding of immigrant-serving nonprofits.
And in Texas, ongoing lawsuits are challenging Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to issue investigative demands to immigrant-serving organizations he has accused of facilitating illegal immigration, among them: Catholic Charities Rio Grande Valley and Annunciation House, a Catholic organization. The organizations have argued in court that Paxton’s efforts violate their First Amendment right to free speech, association and religion.
“They want to criminalize all organizations that work with immigrants,” Etter said.
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Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.
SUMMARY: Desmond Mills Jr., a former Memphis officer who pleaded guilty, testified during the trial of Tadarrius Bean and others charged in Tyre Nichols’ 2023 death. Nichols was beaten after fleeing a traffic stop; footage showed officers laughing while Nichols struggled. Mills admitted hitting Nichols out of anger after accidentally pepper-spraying himself and regretted failing to stop the beating. Nichols died three days later from blunt force trauma. Defense argued Nichols resisted arrest, while prosecutors said officers were “overcome by the moment” and failed to intervene. The trial, moved from Memphis due to publicity, addresses charges including second-degree murder amid scrutiny of MPD’s conduct.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-30 12:15:00
(The Center Square) – Democrats and Republicans from three states are supporting a 287-mile trail that would include Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.
The lawmakers are asking for a feasibility study on the Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail. U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., said Wednesday the trail deserves a national scenic designation.
“The Benton MacKaye Trail is an invaluable part of my district in East Tennessee that thousands of Tennesseans and Americans hike each year, and the trail connects some of the most beautiful and pristine parts of Tennessee with Georgia and North Carolina,” Fleischmann said.
The trail that winds through the Southern Appalachian Mountains was completed in 2005, according to Bob Cowdrick, president of the Benton MacKaye Trail Association, which has supported its development since 1980, according to the bill.
“This study would help protect our storied outdoor heritage for future generations, support local economies, and provide a wide array of recreation opportunities for everyone from day hikers to thru-hikers and solo trekkers to families,” Cowdrick said.
The trail’s path is made up of 95% of federal land. It passes through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Chattahoochee-Oconee, Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests. It begins at North Georgia’s Springer Mountain and ends at North Carolina’s Mount Sterling, according to the Benton MacKaye Trail Association.
The bill is cosponsored in the House by Democrats Steve Cohen of Tennessee and Lucy McBath of Georgia. Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., is also a cosponsor. Republican North Carolina Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd are cosponsoring it in the Senate with Rep. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga. The bill is currently in the House Natural Resources Committee.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article reports on bipartisan support for a feasibility study on the Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail, without advocating for a particular ideological stance. The language used is factual and neutral, primarily focusing on the collaboration between Democrats and Republicans from three states. The article does not show a clear bias in favor of one political party or the other. It simply highlights the specifics of the bill, its sponsors, and the potential benefits of the trail, such as supporting local economies and outdoor recreation. Therefore, it adheres to neutral, factual reporting without promoting a specific viewpoint.
The trio charged in a Tennessee political corruption case shared text messages in early 2020 complaining about the state’s failure to pay a mysterious vendor for work on lawmakers’ constituent mailers, at one point cursing the administrator in charge of handling invoices.
One text message from former Rep. Robin Smith of Hixson to ex-Speaker of the House Glen Casada said, “Connie’s a bi—.” Casada responded, “Agreed!”
Smith, who pleaded guilty in the fraud and kickback case and is cooperating with federal prosecutors, was referring to now-retired Legislative Administration Director Connie Ridley, who handled payments for the state’s postage and printing program for lawmakers. Ridley held up payments because of problems with W-9 tax forms by the vendor, Phoenix Solutions, which was run by former legislative aide Cade Cothren, and Casada, testimony showed.
Smith testified she was “highly frustrated” because Ridley approved work without having the federal tax documents on hand. Eventually, Cothren sent the state a W-9 signed as “Matthew Phoenix,” one of the key documents prosecutors are using in the case to show deception by Smith, Casada and Cothren to direct business to Phoenix Solutions without state officials or lawmakers knowing who was behind the company.
Casada and Cothren had stepped down from their posts at different points in 2019 because of a racist and sexist texting scandal. Casada remained in the General Assembly but not as House speaker.
Connie Ridley, former director of legislative administration, shown leaving Nashville’s federal courthouse on April 25, 2025. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
Another text displayed for the jury Tuesday showed the state had paid for work on a lawmaker’s constituent mailer but didn’t include taxes.
Smith and Cothren sent each other “incredulous” text messages and Smith added another one saying, “Quite the bullsh–.”
Smith, former chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, met with Ridley to speed up payments in February 2020 when the state owed Phoenix Solutions $34,000 for work on several Republican lawmakers’ constituent mailers, including now-former Rep. Patsy Hazlewood of Signal Mountain, Rep. Dan Howell of Cleveland, Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes of East Ridge, Rep. Dennis Powers of Jacksboro, Rep. Susan Lynn of Mt. Juliet, Rep. Bud Hulsey of Bristol, Rep. Chris Hurt of Halls, Rep. Andrew Farmer of Sevierville and Smith and Casada.
Ridley testified earlier this week she didn’t find out Phoenix Solutions was run by Cothren until May 2020 when federal authorities told her to continue processing the New Mexico-based company’s invoices.
Earlier Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Eli Richardson ruled that prosecutors can present evidence showing the trio wanted to expand from constituent mailers, which are paid for with tax money, to House Republican Caucus work. Defense attorneys argued that the prosecutors should be limited to evidence about the postage and printing program because it is outlined in the indictment, not an effort to tap into caucus funds.
Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The content highlights a political corruption case involving Republican lawmakers in Tennessee, presenting factual details about legal proceedings, text communications, and testimonies. While it exposes misconduct within a specific party, the reporting style remains largely neutral and focused on the facts without overt editorializing or broad partisan critique. This aligns with a center-right bias, as it scrutinizes members of a right-leaning party but in a relatively balanced and fact-based manner typical of moderate conservative or center-right news coverage.
