Tennessee Congressman Hits Mayor Over Opposition To ICE: ‘We’re Going To Hold You Accountable’

Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles slammed Nashville’s mayor over his opposition to deportation operations in an interview with Morning Wire, warning city leaders across the country that federal officials will crack down on those who impede law enforcement.

“If you impede federal law enforcement in their duties, in their directive to follow President Trump, to say, it’s time that we start deporting these folks, we’re going to be looking into your city and where appropriate, we’re going to hold you accountable,” Ogles said.

“The mayor of Nashville is making local PD, who are just trying to do their jobs, the bad guy,” Ogles said on Morning Wire. “The problem with that, aside from…impeding federal law enforcement is, we’ve had a 400% increase in attacks against law enforcement across the country.”

.@RepOgles joins @MorningWire to discuss the investigation into Nashville’s mayor and his alleged obstruction of @ICEgov. pic.twitter.com/XuvI0apfY6

— Morning Wire (@MorningWire) May 29, 2025

Ogles’ comments came just after the congressman confirmed that the House Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees have launched an investigation into Nashville’s Democrat Mayor Freddie O’Connell, who spoke out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the federal agency captured nearly 200 illegal aliens in Nashville.

The congressman says he hopes to obtain correspondence between city officials and non-profit organizations discussing ICE’s arrests, as well as internal communications between city officials concerning the ICE raids. Ogles is also seeking internal documents and correspondence discussing an executive order from the mayor mandating that all city officials report their communications with ICE to his office.

Ogles told The Daily Wire the investigation into O’Connell also sends “a message to cities and mayors across the country.”

With the support of the House Judiciary Committee, I will be formally requesting all documents and communications from the Mayor’s office related to:

– The amendment of Executive Order 30—an outrageous directive requiring Nashville employees and first responders to report all… pic.twitter.com/BGv8uocsTk

— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) May 26, 2025

It isn’t just Nashville’s mayor that Ogles has his eye on, however. There’s also State Representative Aftyn Bhen, who followed ICE agents as they enforced federal law in Music City.

“She recorded herself and she put it on social media where she was blocking ICE vehicles,” Ogles said. “She even admitted to blocking four different – ‘delaying’ was the word she used – ICE vehicles as they were trying to conduct operations. And so that’s a crime.”

The ICE raids in Nashville, The Daily Wire first reported, led to the capture of gang members, drug runners, and a convicted rapist. Of the 196 illegal aliens arrested in the raids, 95 had prior criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, and another 31 had reentered the country after being previously removed from the United States.

Ogles explained that criminal illegal alien gangs, some of which have been designated foreign terror organizations by the Trump administration, have a foothold in Tennessee.

“As someone who’s on the Homeland Security Committee, [I] just received a classified briefing. And what I can tell you is that MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, they’re all over the country. They’re in Nashville. They’re in our small cities like Columbia and Tullahoma,” Ogles warned.

“I can tell you that these gangs are sophisticated. They’re in every city in our country. They have very sophisticated surveillance equipment, tactical equipment. This isn’t just some thug on the street selling drugs,” he added. “These are cartels and criminal enterprises that are moving and sweeping across our country.”

“If we don’t fight back, if we don’t take our cities and our streets back, you’re going to wake up and you’re going to see those gang members on the street corner in front of your elementary and middle schools, and then it’ll be too late,” he added.

Ogles also noted that illegal alien gangs “want strongholds in Nashville,” because the city’s proximity to other population centers makes it a valuable outpost for smuggling drugs, guns, and people.

“They want to take over Nashville, and the more competition and the more fighting, the more violence you’re to see on our streets, and I’m not going to stand for it,” Ogles said. “We’re going to find these people. We’re going to get them off our streets.”