Lisa Sherman-Nikolaus’ statements to elected officials concerning illegal migrant children being flown into Chattanooga and other Tennessee cities are misguided and based on unlawful actions.
First, this is a nation of laws and the laws are being violated with impunity. The desire of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition to further facilitate unlawful acts does not negate the seriousness of these actions, it only emphasizes the seriousness of the problem that the U.S. has within its borders.
Second, we have children and families who are citizens of the United States who need assistance, who live in poverty, who need better education, and who have either been thrown away or are ignored. We have veterans who have served our great nation and are homeless. We need to be able to help these people who are in need, including the poor, people of color, and those of various ethnicities, and their children, who are in need.
Is it appropriate to take our attention away from our own citizens in need to attend to those who have not been vetted and become legal residents or citizens through a legal process? What kind of reasoning are these people engaged in?
What we have here is misinformation and a shell game. These are merely future DACA-labeled children. If these organizations were acting legitimately, they should have been transparent. They failed to be transparent to our elected officials in Congress or our state officials, let alone to the people of the community. Did they really believe that we could trust their actions?
I think this organization is misguided and fails to act for the public benefit of Tennessee, and if they desire to act outside the laws of the United States their non-profit status should be revoked.
Don Gala, Ph.D.