The death of American ICU nurse Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents on Saturday in Minneapolis has the potential to intensify the discussion of immigration issues at this week’s Knox County Commission meeting.

Commissioner Andy Fox plans to offer the 'biblical view' on illegal immigration at Thursday's meeting.

Like many Americans, Knox Countians filled social media with both condemnation and defenses of President Donald Trump’s bloody crackdown on undocumented immigrants in Minnesota’s largest metropolitan area.

On Thursday, commissioners will consider Commissioner Rhonda Lee’s proposal to weigh in on a bill in the Tennessee Legislature that would require school systems to determine the immigration status of students and that the Knox County Board of Education opposes. 

Commissioner Andy Fox plans to give a presentation on the “biblical view” on illegal immigration at the same meeting. Fox has postponed a proposal of his calling for increased cooperation between the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Lee’s proposed resolution would state that Commission supports a bill in the Tennessee General Assembly that calls for school systems to collect immigration-status information from students and possibly refuse to enroll them or else charge tuition. 

The Senate version of the bill, which passed during the last session, would require school systems to collect the information, while the House version, which failed to make it out of the Finance, Ways and Means Subcommittee in the 2025 session, does not contain the mandatory language.

“This is to coincide with what the House is trying to pass right now to account for all the illegal children that are in our schools,” Lee said during last week’s agenda-review meeting. “This does not dictate what the schools do, but it would bring our county body to say that we approve of this.” 

The bill is a challenge to Plyler v. Doe, a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled that states can’t prevent children of undocumented immigrants from attending public school unless a substantial state interest is involved.

In December, the school board voted 6-3 to ask state lawmakers to reject any future state mandates that would require districts to collect or verify the immigration status of students, which would place an administrative burden on school systems.

Several commissioners raised objections to the resolution. Courtney Durrett and Damon Rawls referred to the longstanding consent decree that bars County Commission from dictating school policy.

“As the commission body, I don’t think it is appropriate for us to take a stand on an issue between the school board, which is a duly elected body, and the state Legislature," Durrett said.

Law Director David Buuck told commissioners that public schools belong to the state, not the county, and the bill isn’t likely to resurface.

“This died in committee last year,” he said. “Usually when something dies in committee, it’s dead.”

Commission Chair Gina Oster said state Rep. Jason Zachary, a Knoxville Republican, has said the bill’s fate relies on whether its passage would prompt the federal government to withhold $1.2 billion in funding for Tennessee schools.

“The state Legislature is not going to require that sort of thing under any circumstances,” Buuck said. “It is incomprehensible to me, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be done or can’t be done.”

Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the resolution at Thursday’s meeting, which was rescheduled from Monday because of the weekend winter storm.

Fox’s presentation won’t require a vote, but commissioners gave it plenty of attention during agenda review.

Fox essentially said his presentation is a rebuttal to religious arguments made during public forum at Commission’s October meeting. The speakers objected to ordinances sponsored by Fox and Commissioner Angela Russell that would require a financial review of organizations that enter into defined-services contracts with the county or receive hotel/motel tax revenues. The organizations would have to certify that none of their services benefit any undocumented immigrants. 

“I want to use the presentation in order to address that because people have brought in religious viewpoints as a basis for opposing that particular initiative,” Fox said. “I want to respond and demonstrate why those viewpoints are not correct.”

Michael O’Malley was one of several who quoted scripture at the October meeting, and he specifically told Fox that he and his family have welcomed immigrants into their home.

“I can’t speak personally for every single organization in Knox County, but at least the ones that I’ve spoken to and a few that I’ve worked directly with that might be affected by this ordinance. They’re full of people who are truly hitting pavement to serve these populations and make Knox County a livable place.”

Matthew Nance, who has a divinity degree and has been a police chaplain and a missionary, spoke bluntly.

“This ordinance is sin, what Jesus called a white-washed tomb — shiny on the outside, but reeking of death within,” he said. “You are proposing to penalize Knoxvillians for being good. You would turn food pantries, clinics and shelters into checkpoints and faithful servants into informants.”

Fox responded in October, saying “the Bible, as I like to put it, is a book of personal piety, not public policy” and quoting from its pages, but he was cut short when Durrett complained that he was off topic. During Commission’s discussion last week, Rawls said the presentation was unnecessary since the comments that are prompting it occurred three months ago.

“I have a problem sitting in a meeting and somebody is giving me Jesus’s opinion of things, or a biblical position on things, and they did not go to seminary, nor are they ordained to teach something like this,” Rawls said.

“I just disagree,” Fox responded. “I have a right to give an opinion, too, and I didn’t get a chance to give an opinion. You certainly do not have to be ordained. That’s like saying you have to go to journalism school to be a journalist. You don’t have to be an ordained minister to render an opinion on the Bible.”

Commissioner Larsen Jay said Fox’s religious views aren’t Knox County Commission’s concern.

“Your Christian biblical view is your Christian biblical view, and it’s not the business of Knox County Commission,” he said. “Illegal immigration is not in the purview and role and responsibility of Knox County Commission.”

Fox argued that the ordinances he and Russell sponsored — they were deferred until April — make the discussion germane to Commission. 

“If other people hadn’t brought all these positions into the public square, then I would probably not be responding, but they did,” he said. “By the way, it’s not my opinion. I’m planning on sharing scriptures that specifically refute it. So it’s not like I’m just going to get up here and give a homily.”

Prior to Thursday’s voting meeting, Fox and Russell will host a workshop on the nonprofit defined-services reporting ordinance from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 640 of the City County Building.