Is Law to Keep Hispanics Out of the Public Park in Tennessee Town’s Future?

After Hazleton, Pennsylvania passed its anti-immigrant ordinance, dubiously asserting a crime problem, other small cities latched on to the idea and to anti-immigrant sentiment being stirred up by some political leaders. Officials in these towns are pushing their own anti-immigrant ordinances – claiming to see problems arising from school crowding or social services, or simply calling for “preventative maintenance.” In Springfield, Tennessee, the complaint of civic leaders is apparently that Spanish-speaking people are making use of the public park. Alderman Ken Cherry has a plan for what he calls the city’s “growing Hispanic problem.”

“If I could do what I wanted to do, any illegal alien would be holed up in a barbwire tent and we’d haul them up to where they came from and turn them loose,” said Cherry, adding, “If they’re speaking Spanish, I tend to think they are illegal.”

The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition has video from WKRN-TV in Nashville.