skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Texas flooding death toll climbs to 119 as search for more people continues; Poll: Most Americans say Trump has gone 'too far' on immigration; Consumer protection agency takes a big hit under Trump tax law; New England health clinics face closure, ask states to fill funding gap.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Americans voice objections to administration's aggressive immigration crackdown. Grassroots candidates hope to gain traction in Western states. The new budget law slashes rural energy funds, Brazil faces steep tariffs, and only select African leaders are invited to White House summit.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural Americans brace for disproportionate impact of federal funding cuts to mental health, substance use programs, and new federal policies have farmers from Ohio to Minnesota struggling to grow healthier foods and create sustainable food production programs.

We the People: TN Hosts Immigration Conference

play audio
Play

Thursday, December 8, 2016   

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – This weekend, hundreds of policymakers and advocacy groups will converge in Nashville to discuss ways to better integrate immigrants into communities in Tennessee and the rest of the country.

The National Immigrant Integration Conference is in its sixth year, but this is the first time the event has been held in the Southeast. Lisa Sherman-Nikolaus, policy manager at the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, said that with the talk of a Muslim registry and communities like Mount Juliet passing resolutions unfriendly to immigrant rights, it was important to host the event in the South.

"One of our big concerns is the threat that this is to our Muslim immigrant communities,” Sherman-Nikolaus said," but I think the wider receiving communities should also be concerned about the message that this sends for religious freedom in America as well as for repeating past mistakes."

According to the 2015 American Community Survey, more than 90,000 foreign-born individuals are living in Nashville - more than double the number from 15 years ago. A New American Economy report estimates that foreign-born people in Tennessee earn almost $8 billion annually and pay almost $500 million in taxes.

The city of Mount Juliet recently approved a proclamation saying the city did not want those who entered the country illegally living within its boundaries. Sherman-Nikolaus said that while drawing a hard line may sound appealing to some, it's important to understand the potential fallout from such a measure.

"It means that immigrant families will be less likely to call the police if they're victims of a crime, or if they witness a crime,” she said. "It also means that they're more hesitant about sending their kids to school, and this is to the detriment of not only those immigrant families but of the communities in which they live."

Other cities around the country, including San Francisco and Seattle, are vowing to defy any restrictive change in immigration policy that the Trump administration may put in place, by declaring themselves sanctuary cities.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
Authors of the law may add enforcement language, such as fines for parents or involvement from the prosecutor's office, during the committee process. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Garrett Bergquist for WISH-TV.Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Serv…


Social Issues

play sound

More than 400 teen artists will gather this Saturday in Southern California to learn about equity in arts education. The 3rd annual Arts Advocacy Day …

Environment

play sound

New Mexico farmers finding it more difficult to grow historic crops are taking up conservation techniques to meet the challenge. Drought, water …


Places like rural Dutch Harbor, Alaska, rely heavily on diesel powered generators for a majority of their power production. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Despite last-minute concessions in the Trump administration's budget, which removes alternative energy tax incentives, rural Alaska power providers …

Environment

play sound

"Don't go into the water" is a warning Illinoisans may want to heed. A 2024 study released this week found all state-border beaches on Lake Michigan …

Workers in the nonprofit sector predict veterans, children and older adults will be most adversely impacted by the new federal funding package. (Yingyaipumi/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Among the hundreds of pages making up the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" just signed into law is a requirement some people must work to receive Medicaid…

Health and Wellness

play sound

After a legislative session which opened doors to expand mental health care services across Montana, a state commission said it is considering the …

play sound

Most Gen Z high school students and their parents are unaware of the range of options available to kids after graduation, according to a new survey…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021