House GOP Moves to Hold Dem Official Accountable for Blocking ICE Amid Delaney Hall Controversy

A Tennessee lawmaker is calling for a federal investigation into Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell over his administration’s approach to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. Representative Andy Ogles, a Republican whose district encompasses parts of Nashville, sent a letter this week to two influential House committees urging them to look into whether O’Connell has obstructed federal law enforcement or aided undocumented immigrants.

Ogles argued that the mayor’s “recent actions raise serious questions about whether a municipal official is now obstructing federal law enforcement and possibly even actively aiding and abetting illegal aliens.” This call for scrutiny follows heightened tensions between local Democratic leadership and federal authorities over immigration enforcement.

The controversy comes in the wake of several high-profile incidents:

• Three House Democrats were accused of storming an ICE facility in Newark, New Jersey, earlier this month.
• Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was among those arrested after entering the grounds as a bus of detainees arrived.
• Tennessee Highway Patrol and ICE agents recently arrested nearly 200 people in a coordinated operation—many of whom, according to the Department of Homeland Security, had gang affiliations or criminal backgrounds.

The Department of Homeland Security specifically cited O’Connell in a statement criticizing his response to the arrests. After the crackdown, the mayor signed an executive order mandating the tracking of Nashville residents' interactions with federal immigration authorities—a move he said aimed to ensure accuracy and fairness in the city’s handling of immigration matters. “It’s important for us to get this right, and it’s very frustrating to see a failure in the process,” O’Connell remarked.

However, Rep. Ogles sharply rebuked the mayor's posture, arguing that instead of supporting law enforcement for removing dangerous individuals, O’Connell appears to be promoting distrust of federal agents. “Rather than commend law enforcement...the mayor chose instead to signal that federal agents are to be surveilled and distrusted—not supported,” Ogles wrote in his letter, adding, “This executive order is not a transparency initiative. It is already being operationalized as a political weapon.”

The request for congressional investigation comes amid ongoing clashes between Democratic city and state leaders and federal officials over immigration enforcement policies introduced during the Trump administration. The showdowns have intensified amid record-breaking ICE operations and legislative debates about local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Ogles concluded his letter by formally requesting House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green to open a probe into O’Connell and other Nashville officials allegedly involved in restricting ICE activities. Jordan, who is already planning a hearing next week on threats to ICE operations—including the Newark incident—will likely address the Nashville controversy as well.

“Our immigration system depends on cooperation and trust across all levels of government,” Ogles wrote. “When elected officials weaponize their offices to score political points by undermining federal law enforcement, they compromise public safety and the rule of law.”

As of publication, neither Mayor O’Connell’s office nor representatives for Jordan and Green had responded to requests for comment on the matter. The issue highlights the deepening divide over immigration enforcement and the growing scrutiny facing Democratic officials navigating federal-local relations on the issue.