Mel Tucker Fights the Power

BY ROBERT MOORE, Tribune Staff Writer


Having suffered setbacks on two fronts involving illegal immigrants, Morristown City Council member Mel Tucker is moving ahead with a new four-prong offensive designed to prod goverment into action.

This time, he has a clear majority of council members on board, and the council is scheduled to approve Tucker’s policy package on Nov. 20

Tucker has enough votes to pass a resolution urging our federal legislators — Bob Corker, Lamar Alexander and David Davis — to adequately fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to prod immigration officials to do their job.

The council member wants state legislators, John Litz and Steve Southerland, to introduce bills that would make it a felony offense to knowingly employ, transport or house illegal immigrants.

The state law Tucker seeks, which could be modeled after legislation that recently went into effect in Oklahoma, also would require law enforcement officials to detain illegals until they can be deported.

Third on Tucker’s illegal-immigration wish list is directing Morristown City Attorney Dick Jessee to conduct research on the powers of municipal governments to combat an influx of undocumented residents.

Finally, the councilman wants to try another approach to have MPD officers certified to perform certain duties of a federal immigration officer.

Tucker’s initial effort was thwarted, in part, because I.C.E. is reserving the limited training spots for agencies that operate a jail.

His new idea is to have Hamblen County Sheriff Esco Jarnagin deputize five MPD officers, then send them to school with five county corrections officers.

If this proposed end-run around the I.C.E. guidelines works, the MPD officers would be able to process criminal aliens into a federal database and initiate deportation proceedings without relying on a federal agent. .

The officers who complete the school also could document alleged illegal immigrants they encounter during the course of routine police work and forward their names to I.C.E., which could act on the information.

The officers would not have the authority to conduct raids.

"I think it’s our responsibility as a legislative and political body to be looking at this problem," Tucker said. "When I see and watch the news and every agency around the country says, ‘Why, that’s not my problem, that’s the federal government’s problem’... Well, you know, it’s our problem because it’s affecting us, in my opinion."

In August 2006, responding to complaints about up to 10 Hispanics living in a house on Rosedale Avenue, Tucker launched an initiative to set occupancy limits for residences inside the Morristown city limits.

Eight months later, Tucker got what he wanted, but it was a hollow victory. The city council essentially adopted the same occupancy guidelines enforced by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The federal rules permit up to 14 adults to live in a 1,900-square-foot house.

Tucker says groups with similar stated goals like the Tennessee Volunteer Minutemen have approached him with offers of support.

Tucker says he turned them down flat, and emphasizes that he’s not affiliated with any anti-illegal-immigration group.

"I always act on my on," Tucker said. "I’m not speaking for anyone else except myself. I believe that the laws of our land ought to be enforced. I think you move toward anarchy when you don’t do that, and the federal government needs to step up to the plate and do it’s job."

Tucker adopted a novel approach to drive home his point at Tuesday’s council meeting.

In a serious tone, Tucker proposed that the Morristown Police Department suspend enforcement of drunken-driving and all other alcohol-related laws.

Stunned silence filled Council Chambers. Council member Kay Senter’s draw dropped.

When everyone had time to weigh whether Tucker had lost his mind, he allowed that it was an absurd proposition but no less absurd than the federal government to not enforcing immigration laws.

Tucker believes that the influx of illegal immigrants in Hamblen County is at least partially responsible for the drop in median family income, which fell from $27,000 in 2000 to $26,300 in 2006.

He contends that Morristown might be a more attractive location for illegals than many other cities because it’s an "industrial-based, relatively low-wage community."

He maintains this is important for council members because sales-tax revenues fund a large portion of city government’s operations.

"Personally, I believe that people don’t have the disposable income to buy products that generate sales tax that we’ve relied upon in the past," Tucker said.