Pressure mounts in Nashville over immigration crackdown
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Nashville is facing mounting pressure from the Trump administration and congressional Republicans as part of the continuing fallout from an immigration crackdown that resulted in nearly 200 arrests.
- Two House committees launched investigations into Mayor Freddie O'Connell's office following the May operation.
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security included Nashville on a new list of "sanctuary jurisdictions" that it accused of "deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens."
Why it matters: The White House has said the pushback in Nashville could make the city a target for larger immigration sweeps.
- "We'll flood the zone," Trump border czar Tom Homan said repeatedly while discussing the matter on Fox News.
Catch up quick: ICE and DHS officers worked with the Tennessee Highway Patrol to conduct scores of traffic stops in south Nashville, which is home to many Hispanic residents, earlier this month. Metro police was not involved.
- In response to the operations, O'Connell updated a preexisting executive order to require Metro agencies to report communications with federal immigration officials, so that Metro would know about future ICE activity in advance.
- U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles then sent a letter to the House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees urging them to investigate O'Connell over the executive order.
What he's saying: O'Connell told reporters on Friday that his focus is on "getting violent criminals off the streets and protecting innocent Nashvillians."
- O'Connell reiterated that Nashville is not a sanctuary city. (Tennessee outlawed sanctuary cities years ago and state lawmakers made it illegal for elected officials to support so-called sanctuary policies earlier this year.)
- "I'm puzzled by what criteria they used to include Nashville" on the list of "sanctuary jurisdictions," he said.
O'Connell also denied allegations that the city was working in any way to obstruct federal immigration enforcement. He said the city was focused instead on "transparency."
- "We have been guided by a full understanding of state and federal law and will continue to be," he said.
The big picture: O'Connell has become a prominent target for elected Republicans and right wing influencers, many of whom have accused the mayor of obstruction.
- Ogles and others seized on a public city database that listed ICE interactions in Nashville, including the names of some federal agents. The mayor's office said names that were mistakenly included in the database have been removed.
Between the lines: One of O'Connell's top priorities since he took office in 2023 has been repairing relationships between the liberal Nashville and conservative state leaders.
- Escalating scrutiny could stymie his progress.
- House Speaker Cameron Sexton called the release of the agents' names "reckless" and "irresponsible." He called on O'Connell to "get to the bottom of how this happened."
Editor's note: This story was updated with more details.