NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Republican Gov. Bill Lee said Tennessee won't stop resettling refugees under an option offered to states by President Donald Trump's administration.
In reaching the decision announced Wednesday, Lee said he considered his own experience helping Kurdish refugees and weighed it against the will of fellow Republicans in the Legislature.
GOP lawmakers had sued the federal government over its refugee resettlement program and legislative leaders hoped Lee would take Trump up on his offer.
So far, no state has said it plans to reject refugees. More than 2,000 refugees resettled in Tennessee during the 2016 budget year. That number was 692 in 2018.
The full text of Governor Lee’s letter to Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo can be viewed here.
The full text of Governor Lee’s letter to Lt. Gov Randy McNally and Speaker Cameron Sexton can be viewed here.
Lt. Governor Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, on issued the following joint statement on Governor Lee’s decision regarding President Trump’s executive order on refugee resettlement:
“Both our nation and the state of Tennessee have been extremely welcoming to immigrants throughout modern history. In 2016, the General Assembly adopted a resolution expressing the desire of our citizens to file a federal lawsuit to halt refugee resettlement in Tennessee. Our opinion has not changed on this issue since legal action was taken, and our personal preference would have been to exercise the option to hit the pause button on accepting additional refugees in our state. However, the federal order makes this the sole decision of the Governor, and he has made his call.”
According to a release, Knox County has been welcoming refugees through Bridge Refugee Services since 1982. Ninety-nine refugees were resettled in Knox County in fiscal year 2018.
“I have found, overwhelmingly, the people in this program come here to be contributors to society, to breathe the air of the greatest nation on the planet as free men and women. Some of them have already been in service to our nation by working with our military in places like Iraq and Syria," Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said.
Yassin Terou relocated to Knoxville from Syria in 2011 but spoke no English and could find no work. He began selling homemade falafel sandwiches and juices at the local mosque. He would sell out every week, making no money, but happy to be working. With the help of Nadeem Saddiqi, an imam at the mosque and a Knoxville native, he found a restaurant space downtown and Yassin’s Falafel House was born. Yassin’s gained national recognition being named Reader’s Digest’s Nicest Place in America in October 2018.
“We could all learn something from Yassin’s motto: welcome all sizes, all colors, all ages, all sexes, all cultures, all religions, all types, all beliefs, all people. Yassin is a perfect example of how communities like ours can benefit from supporting refugee resettlement and serving as a beacon for the American dream. I strongly agree with Governor Lee’s decision and thank him for his leadership on this issue,” Jacobs continued.