NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee House of Representatives approved several high-profile and controversial bills, and it led to Representative Justin Jones (D - Nashville) being ruled out of order and silenced on the House floor after he compared House Republicans to the neo-Nazi protesters who were at the State Capitol earlier this month.
“When I see this resolution, I see a megaphone being given to those neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups who are afraid that America is changing, that it's becoming more diverse — more multiracial. And just last week, we passed a resolution saying that we are a state that loves our neighbors. If you love your neighbor, you don't build razor wire to keep them out," he said.
He was discussing HJR 0801, a mostly symbolic resolution that connects immigration with human trafficking and the overdose epidemic in the U.S. It effectively says Tennessee would support Texas' efforts to prevent illegal immigration, and urges the federal government to do more to secure the U.S. border.
Its sponsor, Rep. Jake McCalmon (R - Franklin) said 30 Tennesseans died at the Battle of the Alamo and was meant to commend Governor Gregg Abbot "for taking a stand when the federal government would not."
Democratic lawmakers criticized the bill, saying it did not bring solutions to prevent illegal immigration. Rep. Bo Mitchell (D - Nashville) also criticized federal, Republican lawmakers for refusing to pass a federal, bipartisan immigration reform bill in the U.S. Congress. McCalmon said he felt the U.S. bill did not go far enough.
Mitchell said he took offense to the resolution claiming Biden's administration had failed when Republican lawmakers refused to take action on immigration.
"Exodus says you are not supposed to oppress the foreigner, or the widow, or the orphan, for you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. And yet here we are today, inciting white supremacist neo-Nazis to come and say, 'Welcome to our state. We're going to say the exact same thing that you say. We're going to do the exact same thing that you do, and target immigrants and marginalized communities,'" he said. "It'll be no wonder when the next neo-Nazi march would come. Some may argue that this is a neo-Nazi rally, every time we convene this body. But what we have to call attention to ..."
Speaker Cameron Sexton (R - Crossville) then cut him off and said there was an objection. Rep. Jason Zachary (R - Knoxville) said he objected to what Jones was saying.
“Mr. Speaker, I object to the vile things that were coming out of the representative’s mouth,” he said. “He literally disparaged the entire body, the entire body, both parties.”
Jones then posted on social media, saying the House was welcoming hate groups.
During the same House floor session, lawmakers also passed a bill that would ban Pride flags to be displayed in classrooms but may allow flags like the Confederate flag or the Nazi flag. Another bill was passed effectively banning representatives who were expelled for disorderly conduct from being reappointed to their seats.
Jones was a member of the Tennessee Three — a group of Democratic lawmakers who faced expulsion votes after approaching the podium in the House during a demonstration for stricter gun restrictions.
Rep. Gloria Johnson (D - Knoxville) survived the vote, while Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson (D - Memphis) were expelled. They were then voted back to the House on an interim basis, and then formally elected back into the seats.
Both bills will be considered in the Senate.
