Tensions between local and federal officials have escalated in Nashville as U.S. Congressman Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) announced a federal investigation into Mayor Freddie O’Connell over his response to recent immigration enforcement operations and city actions perceived as obstructing federal agents.
At a Memorial Day press conference, Ogles said the House Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees will investigate whether O’Connell “aided and abetted illegal immigration” and misused federal funds. The announcement comes after the mayor publicly criticized a joint operation between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Tennessee Highway Patrol, which resulted in the arrest of 196 people in early May. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, many of those arrested had prior criminal convictions or were previously deported and reentered the country illegally.
O’Connell disputed the characterization of the operation, questioning the lack of transparency surrounding who was arrested and under what charges. He emphasized that the Metro Nashville Police Department did not participate in the raid and reaffirmed his concern for due process and community safety. “We don’t even know the names of who they’ve arrested, much less the charges,” O’Connell said. “What we have seen is a violation of due process and the defiance of court orders.”
The controversy intensified following the mayor’s issuance of Executive Order 30, which requires Metro employees to document interactions with federal immigration officials and directs them to report those interactions to the mayor’s office. A city-monitored hotline was also established for residents to report immigration-related incidents.
Ogles condemned the directive as obstruction and called it “an outrageous attempt to undermine federal law enforcement.” In a request to Congress, he is seeking all internal communications and documents related to ICE operations and any correspondence between Metro employees and NGOs that may involve immigration enforcement.
O’Connell, while declining to comment directly on the allegations during a recent roundtable, reaffirmed his focus on family-centered support. He also highlighted the work of the Belonging Fund, a city-supported initiative that has raised over $245,000 to assist immigrants in crisis. Administered by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, the fund provides aid for housing, childcare, transportation, and food insecurity, but does not support legal services. According to the foundation, no public dollars are used; funding comes from private donors.
Despite those assurances, Metro Council member David Benton has called for a state or federal audit of the Belonging Fund to ensure that no local or federal funds are inadvertently supporting undocumented immigrants. “Stop making a mockery of Memorial Day. Defend Nashville. Defend Tennessee. Defend this country, and stop the invasion,” Benton said.
Ogles continued to escalate the rhetoric, accusing the mayor of siding with “rapists, drug traffickers, and child predators” and warning that obstructing ICE could result in prosecution. “If you’re helping violent gangs destroy Tennessee by obstructing ICE, you belong behind bars,” he said.
State officials, including Gov. Bill Lee, have praised the ICE operation and pledged continued cooperation with federal agencies. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and National Guard remain active in targeting human trafficking and border-related crime, including operations tied to foreign terrorist organizations.
The congressional investigation is ongoing, with requests for documentation already submitted to federal agencies and city officials.
