{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsarticles?ContentRecord_id=a68d4b1d-10e0-4aa7-b9f7-dac9cccb35a9", "The Tennessean: Lamar Alexander, protesters sound off on Obama visit", "2014-12-09", "2014", "2014-12", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Lamar Alexander", "A000360", "www.alexander.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "\u201cThe president is always welcome in Tennessee, where he can see for himself why Republican leadership has our state headed in the right direction. Most Tennesseans would prefer to hear the president talk about working with Congress to secure the border and create a legal system of immigration, instead of discussing his decision to disregard the Constitution and make our broken system worse.\u201d\r\nU.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.\r\n\u201cThe only tangible results from Barack Obama\u2019s visit to Nashville today were obstructed streets and gridlock traffic. His remarks were unconvincing because his argument is without merit. The first step in solving our immigration problem must be enforcement of laws currently on the books.\u201d\r\nLt. Gov. Ron Ramsey,\r\nR-Blountville\r\n\u201cMore than 200,000 Tennesseans remain out of work, but rather than prioritize their plight, the president is putting the interests of those who have broken our laws ahead of them. Why should unemployed Tennesseans have to compete with illegal immigrants for jobs? And why should those who break our laws to come here be rewarded while so many wait to come here legally? This is wrong and the president does not have the authority to change our immigration laws without Congress, as he himself has said at least 22 times. But now he has changed his mind and chosen Nashville as a destination to publicly thumb his nose at the American electorate that just rebuked him in the last election.\u201d\r\nRep. Diane Black, R-Tenn.\r\n\u201cIf nobody stands up, we won\u2019t have a country much longer. America\u2019s in distress.\u201d\r\nTerry Hayes, protester from Cleveland, Tenn.\r\n\u201cI was disappointed to hear more partisan rhetoric from the president as he spoke in Tennessee today. We can \u2014 and should \u2014 take steps to reform the immigration process, starting with fully securing the border. But the president\u2019s attempt to rewrite immigration law from the Oval Office is the wrong solution, not to mention a slap in the face to every naturalized citizen that waited in line to live in this country. Right now we have an opportunity to make changes to our immigration system to help future generations.\u201d\r\nRep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn.\r\n\u201cWe are allowing undocumented immigrants to take those jobs that veterans could have. We need to take care of our own.\u201d\r\nKaren Douglas, protester from Clarksville\r\n\u201cThe president continues to ignore or gloss over the fact that we already have very detailed immigration laws on the books, and no president has the right or the power to pick and choose which ones to enforce. This latest executive order will encourage many millions more to come here, illegally if necessary, as President Obama himself said in 2010. ... Our entire infrastructure \u2014 our schools, hospitals, jails, roads, sewers, etc. \u2014 just could not handle the mega-millions who would come here in the next few years if we simply opened our borders.\u201d\r\nRep. John J. Duncan, R-Tenn.\r\n\u201cUnfortunately, the president used today\u2019s trip to try and sell Tennesseans on his unlawful executive orders \u2014 orders even he once said would violate our laws. We owe it to the American people to secure our borders, and those waiting to legally enter the country, to enforce the current immigration laws before we make any radical changes.\u201d\r\nRep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn.\r\n\u201cHe said he wants to be bipartisan, yet he wants to be a lone ranger.\u201d\r\nJim Hayden, protester from Old Hickory", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsarticles?ContentRecord_id=a68d4b1d-10e0-4aa7-b9f7-dac9cccb35a9"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.2744329180568457, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}