‘We do comply with the law': Nashville mayor responds to investigation into his office
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell responded Friday to Republicans' claims that the city put Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in danger by sharing their names in a recent report.
That document detailed 35 immigration-related interactions between the Metro Nashville Police Department and federal agencies.
Nashville criticized for sharing ICE interactions
O'Connell said at press conference on Friday, May 30 that it was never the city's intent to make those names public. The information was included in a report created under an executive order that requires Metro employees to let the mayor's office know if they interact with ICE.
According to O'Connell, as soon as the names were found, they were immediately scrubbed.
'We've had a training process, and I will say our Metro Nashville Police Department has been very effective in this. We will be reviewing not just how that information is recorded as it comes into publicly available processes, but also then what does get posted,' he explained. 'The interest here is just in transparency. It is not in obstruction or doing anything that would be considered harmful.'
Some Republicans have accused O'Connell of putting ICE and Homeland Security Investigations agents in danger. They have also claimed the mayor misused federal money to stop immigration enforcement, but they haven't shared any evidence of that.
Metro Nashville appears to quietly remove names from immigration report following GOP criticism
O'Connell denied any wrongdoing, insisting no public funds were misused and that Metro has never interfered with ICE operations.
'Metro does not have any legal authority as it relates to immigration enforcement, and we do not impede federal law enforcement actions. In fact, we regularly partner with state and federal law enforcement agencies to take violent criminals off our streets,' O'Connell argued. 'This is the reality. We're very clear-eyed about our legal obligations, and we do comply with the law.'
The Department of Homeland Security released a list on Thursday, May 29 of sanctuary jurisdictions 'that are deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens.' Nashville was included on that list, along with other major cities like Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago, as well as Tennessee's Shelby County.
However, if Nashville was a sanctuary city, it would be a felony under Tennessee law.
'An embarrassment': Tennessee House Republican reacts to Nashville's sanctuary city label by DHS
O'Connell said Nashville does not follow sanctuary city policies: 'I'm puzzled about what criteria they used to include Nashville. As I said at the beginning, we are not and never have been a sanctuary city. If you look at the state law that defines a sanctuary city policy, there are six factors, and we do not and never have had a policy that violates any of those factors.'
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) posted on social media Friday that the federal investigation into the Nashville mayor's office, connected to this month's ICE operation, has begun. Ogles included a letter from two House committees demanding O'Connell turn over documents to Congress by June 12.
O'Connell said his office would provide any requested documents to investigators.
'I am not particularly concerned. We're going to, again, respond appropriately to all inquiries, and we have been guided by a full understanding of state and federal law and will continue to be,' he concluded.
Ogles claims federal investigation into Nashville mayor has begun
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) also announced Friday that she sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi formally requesting the U.S. Department of Justice launch an investigation into the actions of O'Connell and his office for 'attempting to undermine' President Donald Trump and ICE 'in their work to make Tennessee communities safer by arresting illegal aliens and getting dangerous criminals off the streets.'
You can read Blackburn's full letter by clicking here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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