Image Credit: Congressman Andy Ogles / Facebook, Freddie O’Connell / Facebook, Canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
As Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell continues to openly campaign against the joint ICE/Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) operations which have led to the arrest of numerous gang members and other criminals, GOP Congressman Andy Ogles is now calling for a federal investigation into O’Connell’s obstructions.
Under the operation, ICE and THP have thus far arrested 196 criminal illegal aliens throughout Davidson, Rutherford, and Robertson counties. Those detained include convicted sex offenders, murderers, violent gang members, human traffickers, and other offenders.
While many have championed these efforts, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell has taken a different tack, not only disparaging the wholly legal law enforcement efforts and officers, but even going so far as to create a “Belonging Fund” to funnel taxpayer money to charitable organizations who help shelter and provide resources for illegal immigrants.
One such NGO, the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) has reportedly received over $3 million in government grants since 2020, despite consistently vilifying ICE agents and stating the operation, “reeks of racial profiling and unconstitutional discrimination.”
Furthermore, O’Connell also reportedly signed an executive order to establish protocols for various departments to feed any “immigration communications” to the mayor’s office to create, in essence, an early warning system for any upcoming enforcement operations, per The Tennessee Star.
But the mayor is not alone in his efforts to impede immigration enforcement efforts as several other city officials and government departments have continued to protest and attempt to hinder the operations.
Perhaps most egregiously, the Nashville Community Review Board is urging residents,“to submit a formal complaint against any Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officers seen cooperating with immigration enforcement efforts.”
Nashville’s Legal Director has acknowledged the city’s lack of authority over either ICE or THP to conduct their actions, but that has not seemed to slow the mayor’s efforts.
In response, Andy Ogles, Representative for Tennessee’s 5th District, announced on Wednesday, May 14, that “he will formally request that both the House Judiciary Committee and the Homeland Security Committee open investigations into Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell and other city officials for their repeated efforts to obstruct lawful ICE operations.”
During a Homeland Security Committee meeting, Ogles asked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem if aiding and abetting illegal aliens to evade federal law enforcement or impeding ICE’s ability to perform its duties would be considered a criminal act, to which Noem responded, “Yes, I believe it would, sir.”
Ogles has also been active on social media, critiquing the mayor and other city officials while reminding them of the illegality of attempting to obstruct the Trump administration’s right to perform immigration enforcement.
One post read, “The obstructionist actions of Nashville’s city government are endangering local sheriffs. These brave officers aren’t just being vilified by radical city liberals who despise ICE—they’re now at risk of being targeted by Nashville’s so-called ‘community oversight board,’ which will no doubt push for their removal. Let’s be clear: aiding and abetting criminal illegal aliens is not just reckless—it’s blatantly illegal. O’Connell needs to answer for this.”
The Congressman has also reiterated that he stands with the people of Tennessee and will do his best to stop the state from falling into shambles like other sanctuary cities and states across the nation.
“This isn’t just a political disagreement—this is the people of Tennessee vs. Mayor O’Connell. — It’s about protecting law enforcement. — It’s about defending our borders. — It’s about justice for the victims of illegal alien crime. — And it’s about reclaiming Tennessee’s capital from woke city mayors hellbent on turning our state into California,” he wrote.
In a press release, Ogles reiterated, “This isn’t San Francisco. This isn’t Portland. And I refuse to let Democrats turn our state into a playground for cartels and predators. Nashville will not become a sanctuary city on my watch,” and has promised to use “every tool in Congress to hold them accountable.”
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
