TN Sen. Beavers agrees with Trump's Muslim ban

A Tennessee senator agrees with comments made by business mogul Donald Trump that it's a good idea to initiate "a total and complete shutdown" of Muslim people entering the U.S.

"For him to suggest banning all Muslims, I don't have a problem with that," said Sen. Mae Beavers, R-Mt. Juliet.

Beavers, a supporter of the GOP presidential nominee, said people are scared and it's the government's job to protect them. In her opinion, that means preventing Muslims coming into the country — through immigration, refugee resettlement or any other means — for now.

"No, I don’t think there's anything Islamaphobic at all. It's about protecting our own, protecting our country," Beavers said.

"It’s our job to protect Tennessee."

The comments mirror the fears of many, especially Republican lawmakers and leaders around the country, heightened in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. After the attack in Paris, Gov. Bill Haslam said he received perhaps more calls from constituents than during any other time in office.

Haslam did ask federal officials to stop sending Syrian refugees to Tennessee. He didn't go as far as Beavers though.

"Governor Haslam does not agree," said spokeswoman Jennifer Donnals, when asked for a comment about Trump's proposal.

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Ryan Haynes blasted his party's presidential frontrunner. Haynes, who recently vacated a seat in the state legislature to take over the state party, said Trump's comments have no place in the Republican party or American politics.

"Demanding that our borders be secure or raising legitimate questions about our screening process is one thing, but a wholesale ban on a religious basis is just wrong. This isn't a conservative proposal; it’s an outlandish idea that goes against American exceptionalism," Haynes said.

"Donald Trump is running for the highest office in the United States. This comment doesn't reflect someone who is serious about that endeavor."

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, and House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, called for a ban on all refugees entering the U.S. after the Paris attacks. In light of Trump's comments, Ramsey again said it's time to "press the pause button" on refugee entry.

"While I would not favor an explicitly religious test, I do think it is time to place a moratorium on immigration from a long list of countries with ties to terrorism," Ramsey said in a prepared statement to The Tennessean.

"The United States has been the most welcoming nation in history by a large margin. But a nation without secure borders is no nation at all. We are at war with radical Islam and everyone outside of the Obama administration knows it."

House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, and House GOP Caucus Chairman Glen Casada, R-Franklin, declined comment through a spokesman. Casada recently suggested gathering up Syrian refugees in Tennessee with the help of the National Guard.

Many Republican presidential candidates were quick to denounce Trump's comments.

Like Trump though, Beavers perpetuated the idea that Muslims aren't Americans. She recited a figure included in Trump's statement that purports a quarter of Muslims polled say violence against Americans is justified as part of the "global jihad."

The Trump campaign cited a poll provided by the Center for Security Policy. It describes itself as a donor-driven entity focused on national security. The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the organization as once respectable, but says its leader, Frank Gaffney Jr., is "gripped by paranoid fantasies" about Muslims and is "one of America’s most notorious Islamophobes."

Tennessee Democrats have rejected calls from Republicans to ban refugees or immigrants from entering the state. On Tuesday Democratic Party Chairwoman Mary Mancini called on Trump supporters and Tennessee Republican leaders to renounce the business mogul's comments on banning Muslims.

"It is beyond time for Trump’s Republican delegates in this state, as well as Republican Party leaders like Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and Speaker Harwell, to publicly reject Donald Trump and his dangerous plan," Mancini said in a news release.

When asked, Beavers acknowledged there are Muslim-Americans.

Beavers also believes the state should continue to fight to ban refugees from entering the state. Although Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery recently issued an opinion that said the state can't prevent federal placement of refugees, Beavers said she has asked Senate leadership to explore the idea of hiring outside attorneys to sue the federal government.

The concept could come up for discussion during a legislative hearing Wednesday, called to examine Tennessee's refugee resettlement program. The agenda includes several presenters from state and local government, the Tennessee National Guard, the conservative Heritage Foundation and Catholic Charities of Tennessee, the program that oversees refugee resettlement in the state.

The hearing is set for 1 p.m.

Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.