Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell on Tuesday suggested that the joint immigration enforcement operation between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) in Nashville was unnecessary, reportedly asserting the Metro government is capable of reducing crime in a method that does not “separate families, hurt our economy,” or “distress an entire community” in the city.
He made the remarks shortly after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) criticized the mayor for his new “Belonging Fund,” which he called a partnership between Nashville and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
“Despite ICE and THP’s success in protecting Americans from these criminal illegal aliens, Mayor O’Connell stands by pro-illegal policies claiming that these operations were done by ‘people who do not share our values of safety.’ Mayor O’Connell launched the Belonging Fund to provide taxpayer dollars for aliens in Nashville,” said the agency in a press release.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin added, “You would think all public officials would unite around DHS bringing violent criminal illegal aliens to justice and removing them from American communities. However, pro-open borders politicians—like Mayor O’Connell—would rather protect illegal aliens than American citizens.”
While the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently confirmed nearly 200 illegal immigrants have been arrested, including gang members and a child sex offender, the mayor said on Tuesday to WKRN News 2 that Nashville was already “delivering safety to this community by reducing crime multiple years in a row and arresting gang members who commit crimes.”
Though DHS listed the names of several detainees in a post to the social media platform X on Monday, the mayor additionally challenged ICE to “release the names and charges for everyone they detained in Nashville, not just a select few.”
Names released on Monday by DHS in social media posts to X include one individual who was convicted of dealing drugs and assault, another who is a MS-13 gang member who was convicted of possessing methamphetamine, and one who failed to register as a sex offender.
Inmar Antonio Penado-Membreno, a 34-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador. Penado-Membreno's criminal history includes a conviction for possession with intent to manufacture/deliver/sell cocaine to which he was sentenced 8 years imprisonment. He was also convicted of… pic.twitter.com/1lWzSVIhF5
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 13, 2025
In addition to the O’Connell statement to WKRN, the Metro Council Immigrant Caucus issued a statement in which it insisted the “Belonging Fund” did not receive taxpayer dollars.
“Contrary to misinformation circulated in the DHS press release, this fund is not taxpayer-funded. The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Conexion Americas, and Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors committed more than $30,000 to help seed the new fund,” said the caucus.
One of the nonprofits that seeded the fund, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), has received more than $3 million in government grants since 2020. The Biden administration previously tapped TIRRC to facilitate the release of thousands of illegal immigrants into Tennessee.
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Freddie O’Connell” by Freddie O’Connell.Â
Freddie O’Connell needs to be removed as mayor for the good of the American People.
O’Connell is a trouble making Marxist who only wants to divide people. He wants to tax the working people to fund his extreme agenda.
Arrest O’Connell NOW!
i wish freddie loved legal citizens the way he does illegal ones