Nashville mayor stands by ICE instructions, has no plans to remove executive order
Amid growing pressure from state leaders, O'Connell stated he does not have plans to rescind Executive Order 30, which requires Metro Police and Metro Council to document and publish interactions with federal immigration authorities.
This comes after House Speaker Cameron Sexton demanded O'Connell remove the order on Thursday.
RELATED: TN House Speaker demands Nashville mayor rescind executive order tied to ICE interactions
'Our focus is on participating in conversations, having discourse directly with our community, and frequently, at a staff level, with people in state and federal government,' said O'Connell on Friday. 'We don't spend as much energy on statements, and so I haven't even fully reviewed the statement yet.'
'We believe that the transparency that is in that executive order helps everybody,' he continued. 'It helps make sure that nobody can accuse local, state, or federal entities of activity that did or did not occur. It also represents to the community that nobody is trying to hide anything here.'
With that all said, O'Connell called it 'appropriate' to maintain the executive order, for now. He said he and his office are more focused on the city's 2026 budget.
'Our department of law leads everything that we need to do to make sure we are compliant with state and federal law. We are going to respond appropriately to any formal requests for documents or investigation,' O'Connell explained. 'But our office, our team are focused on the business of the city. We are working on our budget and we are working on doing what's right for Nashvillians.'
Highlights from Mayor O'Connell's State of Metro Address and proposed budget for fiscal year 2026
Key components of the proposed budget, according to O'Connell, are public safety and housing.
With public safety, O'Connell detailed an expansion of resources for Nashville Fire, the addition of more SROs in schools, plus new police precincts.
As for housing, the Mayor said Nashville is in a crisis, which is why the budget would include the largest single-year investment into housing in the city's history.
O'Connell referenced the 'stark contrast' between Nashville's budget plan, and President Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill,' specifically when it relates to health care and services for the lower/middle class.
Overall, O'Connell said they feel 'very good' about their 2026 budget.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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