Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell said on Friday that he has “no response” to the recent formal request by U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) for Congress to open probes into the actions taken by the mayor in response to the recent immigration enforcement operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP).
In response to the immigration enforcement operation, which resulted in nearly 200 arrests of illegal immigrants, O’Connell signed an executive order that required Metro Nashville employees to inform his office, and the Nashville Office of New Americans, of any communication by a federal government official that relates to immigration enforcement.
He also announced the establishment of a “Belonging Fund,” which he said was a joint project between Metro Nashville and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, but claims is funded exclusively through nonprofits and private donors.
These actions led Ogles, following an interaction with U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last week, to formally request congressional probes to determine the legality of O’Connell’s actions. He published his letter to the House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees on Friday.
Asked about Ogles’ request for congressional probes during his Nashville Mayor Roundtable event with media on Friday, O’Connell said he had “no response.”
Pressed by a reporter on whether is concerned over a potential arrest, O’Connell said he has, “talked closely with our legal counsel almost every day about the overall landscape,” and that his administration is “not looking to obstruct any federal or state law.”
The mayor added, “I don’t have any reason to be concerned.”
Regarding his executive order, O’Connell claimed he merely wanted Metro Nashville to have a better “awareness” of federal immigration enforcement.
“The intended point was for us to have some awareness. It’s an executive order that was issued previously under different administrations. We continued it, and what’s happened more recently is a technical update,” said O’Connell, before again citing his legal counsel. “We constantly have our legal department reviewing it.”
His modified executive order was announced while members of the Metro Nashville Council demanded answers about how the city was informed of the immigration enforcement operation. It was ultimately revealed that, days prior to the operation, a police dispatcher was asked to send extra Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) patrols to an ICE facility. Metro Nashville officials have indicated the changes to the executive order would require such communications to be shared with the mayor and Office of New Americans.
O’Connell additionally asserted that no taxpayer money is being sent to the “Belonging Fund,” and that his recent executive order was not aimed at tipping off illegal immigrants about federal enforcement operations.
“There are no taxpayer dollars in that fund. We haven’t allocated anything to it. It’s being supported fully by private donations,” claimed O’Connell. He later acknowledged the fund, “supports families known to be impacted as a result of activities related to immigration, but the entire point is family support—cost of living,” and not “legal services.”
The mayor told reporters on Friday that the fund has since grown to more than $240,000.
While O’Connell claimed the “Belonging Fund” does not receive taxpayer dollars, The Tennessee Star reported last week that two of the nonprofits which initially seeded the fund, the Tennessee Immigration and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and Conexion Americas, last year both received more than $1 million in public funding from Metro Nashville via the American Rescue Plan passed by Congress under former President Joe Biden.
Ogles highlighted the reporting by The Star in a Friday video posted to the social media platform X, when he urged that O’Connell “must be investigated immediately.”
“If Mayor O’Connell is using public funds to help illegal aliens evade federal law enforcement, then indictments need to follow,” said Ogles. “Tennesseans should not be forced to bankroll the invasion of their own state. Deport them all. Investigate the mayor. No sanctuary cities in Tennessee.”
🚨 Mayor O'Connell Must Be Investigated Immediately
Mayor Freddie O’Connell launched a “Belonging Fund” specifically to assist illegal aliens—because ICE is finally doing its job and deporting them.
According to strong reporting from @TheTNStar, there’s a possibility that… pic.twitter.com/EBy3Ayk9jh
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) May 16, 2025
Absent from the mayor’s round table event was any mention of his potential lawsuit against the Trump administration, which he originally announced in Tuesday comments to public radio.
“My suspicion would be that you’re going to have people there who, if there has been a violation of rights, it’s going to lead to additional lawsuits,” said O’Connell at the time.
Watch the mayor’s full press event:
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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 “Mayor Freddie O’Connell” by Mayor Freddie O’Connell.
find someone who loves you like dems love illegal criminals
Freddie your nose is growing. Prosecute him and any legislators or council members who break the law with ICE.