Tennessee rep says Nashville mayor's ICE policies amount to 'aiding and abetting illegal immigration'

Yahoo

27-05-2025

A Republican lawmaker from Tennessee is calling for a federal investigation into Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell's handling of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, adding he will not back down.
Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., said in a post on X that with support from the House Judiciary Committee, he is formally requesting all documents and communications from O'Connell's office pertaining to his alleged protection of illegal immigrants.
Specifically, Ogles is requesting documents related to "the amendment of Executive Order 30," which he referred to as "an outrageous directive requiring Nashville employees and first responders to report all communication with federal immigration authorities directly to the mayor."
Ogles also said he is requesting any internal discussions or documents concerning ICE enforcement actions in Nashville or Davidson County and all correspondence involving Metro employees and affiliated nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) pertaining to the arrests or detention of criminal illegal aliens within the city or county.
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Along with his post, Ogles shared a video of his announcement.
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"We've heard it: the individuals that the mayor is standing with are murderers, rapists, drug traffickers, sexual predators, child traffickers…the list goes on," he said. "Which is why I will always stand on the rule of law and with ICE. And I don't just stand with ICE; I'll stand in front of ICE because we the people have had enough.
"I choose my community, my state and my family over this type of nonsense, which is why, due to the remarks of Freddie O'Connell and the potential for aiding and abetting illegal immigration, the Homeland Security and the Judiciary Committees will be conducting an investigation into the mayor of Nashville, his conduct and whether or not federal dollars have been used in criminal enterprise," Ogles continued. "I will not back down. I will not relent, and I will always stand with law enforcement. I want my community, and I want my country back."
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Ogles' announcement comes 10 days after he sent a letter urging for an investigation into O'Connell, whom the Trump administration has accused of supporting "pro-illegal policies."
O'Connell's office did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the matter.
Earlier this month, ICE agents working with the Tennessee Highway Patrol arrested nearly 200 people who the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said were illegal immigrants – many of them criminals with gang affiliations or other sordid pasts.
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A DHS news release targeted O'Connell by name over comments he made in early May. "What's clear today is that people who do not share our values of safety and community have the authority to cause deep community harm."
After the arrests, O'Connell signed an executive order aimed at tracking peoples' interactions with federal immigration authorities, according to WSMV4.
O'Connell also wrote a letter to the city about the ICE arrests.
"Our top priority is keeping people safe, and we're deeply concerned that what appear to be federal actions are making that harder," O'Connell wrote. "Overnight, we understand that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents detained people during enforcement actions in Middle Tennessee. As we learn more, I want to be clear: No [Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD)] personnel were involved in last night's enforcement action."
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He added that the city's police department does not have federal immigration authority, nor are its members trained to conduct immigration enforcement.
O'Connell also said the police department lacks access to federal immigration databases.
"This type of federal enforcement action is not focused on making us safer and leaves people in our community fearing any interaction with law enforcement when there is a crime occurring," he added. "We will be seeking the names of those detained."
DHS said the Nashville operation resulted in the arrests of a convicted child sex predator, an alleged member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, an individual convicted of aggravated assault and multiple illegal aliens on drug charges.
"The Nashville Mayor should want these criminal illegal aliens off American streets," DHS posted on X. "Attacks and demonization of our brave law enforcement is wrong. ICE officers are now facing a 413% increase in assaults. President Trump campaigned on immigration enforcement, the American people voted for it, and DHS is delivering."
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.Original article source: Tennessee rep says Nashville mayor's ICE policies amount to 'aiding and abetting illegal immigration'