NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Tennessee congressman is requesting a federal investigation into Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell, alleging potential obstruction of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the city.
Republican Congressman Andy Ogles has asked both the House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees to investigate whether Mayor O'Connell has hindered ICE operations in Nashville.
"If elected officials impede ICE and Homeland Security from doing their job in pursuing illegal immigrants would that be a criminal act?" Ogles asked during a recent exchange with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
"I believe so," Noem said.
In a letter, Ogles expressed concerns that the mayor may be "obstructing federal law enforcement and possibly aiding illegal aliens."
Since ICE began conducting arrests in Nashville, O'Connell has been outspoken about the operations.
"If ICE released the names, you'd probably hear about the father who was stopped as he returned home from buying decorations for his son's birthday party," O'Connell said at a roundtable responding to the ICE raids.
At a press conference on Friday, Mayor O'Connell didn't directly address the potential investigation but did respond to the allegations.
"We are not looking to obstruct any federal or state law. Don't have any reason to be concerned," O'Connell said.
Ogles also accused the mayor of issuing an executive order requiring city agencies to track and report interactions with federal immigration authorities. However, this order was actually issued in January 2024. A new amendment said city departments must report interactions to the mayor's office within one business day. This change came after an incident where a request for extra police at Nashville's ICE facility went unreported.
"It is an executive order that was issued previously under different administrations. We continued it. And what has happened more recently is a technical update, and we constantly again have our legal department reviewing it," O'Connell said.
The Department of Homeland Security has also criticized the mayor's actions. When asked about this, the mayor indicated he is focused on improving the city.
In response to the ICE raids, the mayor — alongside the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee — launched the Belonging Fund to help those affected. Together, they have raised more than $240,000.
The mayor has faced accusations of using taxpayer dollars for the fund but disputes this claim.
"There are no taxpayer dollars in that fund. We have not allocated anything to that. That is being supported fully by private donations," O'Connell said.
"The belonging fund supports families known to be impacted as a result of activities related to immigration. But the entire point is, family supports, cost of living, those kinds of things. It's not even intended to be about legal services. So it is about people who have identified food insecurity as a result of possibly losing somebody who was an earner in the household. It is about childcare. It is about basic family needs," O'Connell said.
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