The Border Czar Comes to Town

Immigration was front and center during the 2024 election, and those panic-stricken by the incoming Trump administration’s plans to initiate a massive deportation operation have vocalized their fears. In Nashville, the anxiety has even spilled over into local discussions about supplementing the Metro Nashville Police Department with surveillance technology. “How else would our police use Fusus than to persecute and prosecute us, to implement the new regime, to round up trans folks like me, to arrest and deport friends and neighbors or politicians Trump decides are traitors?” asked a public commentator during November 19th’s Metro Council meeting. 

While leaders in blue states and cities have been putting together a bulwark against impending deportation efforts, Tom Homan, Trump’s Border Czar, has made it clear that he will prosecute those who impede the administration’s efforts to deport dangerous illegals. It just so happens that Homan’s latest stop was close to home. Last night, he attended an event in Franklin to speak in front of the newly formed Reagan Society. Though Mayor O’Connell has remained neutral when addressing the new administration’s deportation approach, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Homan issued similar warnings to Nashville in the future. 

In 2023, the mayor’s own campaign material claimed that “Freddie O’Connell is the only truly progressive candidate for mayor.” Given his “deep commitment to immigrant and refugee communities,” the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition enthusiastically gave him their endorsement. “He’s released a robust list of 15 Fixes on Day One, which includes plans to strengthen the Mayor’s Office of New Americans, an office critical in engaging immigrants and refugees to fully participate in our government and our community,” reads the organization’s website, which also includes his track record of voting in support of numerous policies designed to benefit illegals and minority groups. 

O’Connell’s administration also joined the MNPD in strongly opposing a state law requiring local law enforcement to report immigration status to federal authorities that went into effect this July. That being said, he has remained silent on the immigration bills already filed by state legislators for the upcoming General Assembly session.  O’Connell was given an opportunity during the December 6 roundtable to address whether he had been notified of any legislation that might encroach on his ability to govern. When giving his answer, the mayor opted to focus on a bill that might alter the authority of historic preservation agencies—skirting any discussion about immigration.

Unlike Chicago’s mayor, O’Connell did not find himself in Homan’s crosshairs last night. Instead, the Border Czar praised Tennessee as a strong red state. During his 40-minute speech, he reminded those in attendance of the dangerous and devastating uptick in human trafficking, drug trade, and gang violence caused by the Biden administration’s open border policy. Homan went on to assure Tennesseans that not only does he intend to prioritize the deportation of dangerous illegal aliens, but he will also work to track down the thousands of innocent children unaccounted for due to the dysfunction of our immigration system. MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

🎓 Charter School Letters Are In Though charter schools have been lumped into the ongoing and contentious school choice discussions in Tennessee, it seems the chatter hasn’t deterred new public charter school programs from starting the application process to establish themselves across the state. According to Firefly, 17 charter operators have successfully submitted their letters of intent this year—slightly down from the 21 letters received last year. Three potential charter schools would be within the Metro Nashville Public School district: The Rock Academy, Rocketship TN 5, and The Forge School. The deadline for the charter operators to put in their official application is February of next year. 

🚗 Gun Theft From Vehicles Down On Tuesday, the Metro Nashville Police Department reported that fewer guns have been stolen from cars compared to last year. According to the press release, though 73 percent of guns stolen so far this year were taken from vehicles, those numbers are down 26 percent when compared to 2023.

Back in May, MNPD Public Affairs Director Don Aaron told us that the department had been actively informing the public to lock up both their firearms and vehicles to deter theft. Since February, the department has also been implementing Operation 72, an initiative dedicated to investigating car thefts and advancing any other criminal investigations based on intel gathered by their efforts.

🏈 Nashville To Host College Football Championships In January of 2026 and 2027, Vanderbilt’s FirstBank Stadium will host the NCAA Division I Football Championship games. According to WKRN, officials made the announcement this morning, making Nashville the 11th city to host the Football Championship Subdivision Championship since 1978. In November, the Nashville Post reported that Vanderbilt dished out $66.9 million to acquire four new campus-area properties. The purchase includes West End’s retail center that houses Ted’s Montana Grill near the university’s stadium. 

DEVELOPMENT

• Plans revealed for new senior living community in Green Hills (NBJ)
• Yucatan Peninsula-inspired restaurant Dos Santos to open in WeHo (NBJ)
• New York developer tackles 12South traffic with new parking garage (NBJ)
• Property eyed for east side hotel sells for $5M (Post)

✹ REVISITING THE APPRENTICE (2024)

Claims that Donald Trump’s election is ruining lives have abounded since November 5th. But, other than the career DC bureaucrats threatened by DOGE, actor Sebastian Stan may be the one person with a legitimate gripe. Stan has earned well-deserved raves for his role in October’s controversial movie The Apprentice playing a young Trump as the protege of notorious lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong).

Yet, as awards season kicks off in the shadow of 47’s decisive win, Stan has found himself with an unexpected handicap. Sure, he earned a Golden Globe nomination earlier this week along with Strong, but he’s found himself excluded from routine seasonal press events like Variety’s “Actors on Actors” because no one wants to talk about Trump.

In one of the first awards season press events after the election, Stan, Strong, actress Maria Bakalova, screenwriter Gabriel Sherman, and director Ali Abbasi, shared their views on the controversial film that, as we said in October, is both one of the year’s best and the most impressive presidential biopic since John Ford’s Young Mr. Lincoln.

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide and yearly festival guide.

TONIGHT

🎸 WILLIS @ The Blue Room, 7p, $23.30, Info

🎸 Robert Earl Keen @ Ryman Auditorium, 7p, $109+, Info

🎙 Justin Timberlake @ Bridgestone Arena, 7p, $55, Info

🎄 Leslie Odom, Jr.: The Christmas Tour with the Nashville Symphony @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7p, $40+, Info

🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info

🎸 Kelly’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info

🎸 Open Mic @ Fox & Locke, 6:30p, Free, Info
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