NASHVILLE — The Justice Department argued Friday that releasing suspected gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia would pose a danger to the public because of his alleged history of violence toward his wife, sexual misconduct toward young girls, and participation in an illegal alien smuggling ring.
Abrego Garica, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who has been incorrectly dubbed a &#8220;Maryland man&#8221; by the legacy media, appeared in federal court in Nashville on Friday for his arraignment on human smuggling charges and a detention hearing. Wearing a bright red prison suit and listening to proceedings through interpreters, Abrego Garcia pled not guilty in front of a crowd of left-wing supporters who showed up to watch the case play out.
Abrego Garcia faces 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for one count of conspiracy to transport aliens and up to 10 years in prison for each illegal smuggled across the country if found guilty on another count of unlawful transportation of illegal aliens. He was returned to the United States last week after being deported to El Salvador due to suspected ties to MS-13.
After his not guilty plea, Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes heard arguments from the Justice Department and Abrego Garcia&#8217;s lawyers on whether or not to release him as his case is litigated. As court ended for the day, she said that she would not give a date for her decision, but that it would be &#8220;sooner rather than later.&#8221;
Acting United States Attorney for Middle Tennessee Robert McGuire argued that Abrego Garcia should be detained because he was a flight risk and would endanger the community based on testimony and evidence that he had endangered children through his alleged participation in a smuggling ring, ties to violent gangs, and the multiple complaints from his wife about domestic violence.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I&#8217;m at the federal courthouse in Nashville reporting for <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a> on the arraignment of suspected MS-13 member Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Dozens of protesters are outside the building, holding signs like &#8220;fuck ICE&#8221; and other pro-illegal alien messages. <a href="https://t.co/JAxpn3798j">pic.twitter.com/JAxpn3798j</a>
— Leif Le Mahieu (@leif_lemahieu) <a href="https://twitter.com/leif_lemahieu/status/1933533457310773252?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The crux of the Justice Department&#8217;s case relies on a traffic stop in Putnam County, Tennessee, on November 30, 2022, when Abrego Garcia was pulled over driving a Chevrolet suburban with nine others inside. One of those individuals noted his age to be 15 when Tennessee Highway Patrol had each person write their name and age down on a sheet of paper.
Homeland Security special agent Peter Joseph said that the 15-year-old boy was unaccounted for to this day and that they hadn&#8217;t tracked him down yet, saying that &#8220;we don&#8217;t know right now&#8221; if he is OK. Joseph added that at least six of the nine individuals being transported have been identified as illegal aliens from a variety of countries including Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras.
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Joseph also testified that Abrego Garcia lied to the Tennessee state troopers when he claimed that he was bringing a construction crew from St. Louis to Maryland. According to data gathered through license plate readers, Joseph said that the vehicle hadn&#8217;t been in St. Louis in the timeframe Abrego Garcia claimed and that there were no construction tools in the vehicle.
Abrego Garcia also had a history of sexual misconduct toward minors, multiple of his associates told Joseph. Additionally, Joseph said an unidentified girl provided evidence to federal investigators that Abrego Garcia had asked a 15-year-old Maryland girl to send him nude pictures of herself and sent her other messages discussing OnlyFans.
Lawyers for Abrego Garcia referred to these accusations as &#8220;slanderous&#8221; and said a &#8220;flirtatious event&#8221; from five years ago shouldn&#8217;t impact his detention.
Abrego Garcia&#8217;s lawyers, including public defenders Richard Tennant and Dumaka Shabazz, argued that the Justice Department&#8217;s case relied too much on hearsay, and they tried to discredit the testimony about his activities given to federal investigators from two men who also face deportation and federal punishment.
The defense did not call any witnesses, but pointed to multiple pieces of evidence, including a 2019 immigration holding that Abrego Garcia should not be deported to his home country of El Salvador because of fears of gang violence. They also included a letter from an immigrant activist group called CASA, which promised to help Abrego Garcia should he be released.
Holmes at times appeared critical of the Justice Department, and suggested that their evidence was dated because it came from 2020-2022. When discussing the orders of protection granted to Abrego Garcia&#8217;s wife over fears for her own safety, Holmes asked McGuire whether it would be &#8220;equally plausible&#8221; that he had a change of heart over the last four years rather than stay the same.
Regardless of her decision, Abrego Garcia will likely not be leaving federal custody anytime soon as ICE is expected to take custody of him if he is released on the smuggling charges.
Before the hearing began, dozens of people gathered outside the courthouse holding signs like &#8220;F*** ICE&#8221; and &#8220;Stop ICE Kidnappings.&#8221; By noon, the crowd had largely dispersed as rain ripped through Nashville and the proceedings dragged into late afternoon.

Rally Held For Immigrants Deported To El Salvador in NYC

Here’s Why The Trump Admin Says It Would Be Dangerous To Release Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Courts

Department of Justice

illegal alien

Illegal Immigration

Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Nashville

Smuggling

Tennessee

U.S.

Country singer Conner Smith was allegedly involved in a car accident in which he struck and killed a woman who was walking, according to a <a href="https://www.nashville.gov/departments/police/news/pedestrian-fatally-struck-sunday-3rd-avenue-north">release</a> from the Nashville Police Department.
Per local police, Dorothy Dobbins, 77, was walking in a crosswalk around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday night when she was struck by a Chevy Silverado pickup truck. She later died after being taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
“The preliminary contributing factor for this crash appears to be Smith failing to yield the right of way to the pedestrian,” the police report said. “He showed no signs of impairment.” As of Monday, no charges were filed against the recording artist.
“On June 8th, Mr. Smith was involved in a car accident that tragically claimed a life. His heart goes out to Ms. Dobbins’ family during this incredibly difficult time. Mr. Smith continues to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation,” Smith’s attorney said in a <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2025/06/09/country-singer-conner-smith-involved-in-fatal-pedestrian-incident-police-say/84123320007/">statement</a> to The Tennessean.
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The fatal incident occurred on the last day of the annual CMA Fest in Nashville, a popular four-day country music event.
Smith is a rising country music singer and songwriter from Nashville known for blending traditional country storytelling with a modern sound. He gained attention with his breakout single &#8220;I Hate Alabama,&#8221; and has since built a loyal fanbase with hits like &#8220;Take It Slow&#8221; and &#8220;Creek Will Rise.&#8221; In April, he released the single “Country in the Clouds” with Dylan Marlowe. Smith is also featured on the “Twisters” soundtrack.
Signed to Big Machine Label Group, Smith has been recognized as one of country music’s promising new voices.
The country singer married surfer Leah Thompson in April 2024.

Conner Smith

Country Singer Strikes, Kills 77-Year-Old Woman In Crosswalk: Police

Car Crash

Celebrities

Country Music

Entertainment

A man wanted over a hit-and-run in Nashville last month is an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by the Biden administration, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed Thursday.
The Department of Homeland Security said that Tony Gebian Lopez Infante, who is suspected of driving his car into a Florida man celebrating his 21st birthday, illegally entered the country in August 2023. Lopez Infante is on the run after police say that he slammed into Zachary Carach with his vehicle on May 18, sending him to the hospital with serious injuries.
“An illegal alien who should never have been in the U.S. allegedly struck a young man who was celebrating his 21st birthday in a hit-and-run crash and is still at large. The Biden Administration released this illegal alien into our country in 2023,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “This crime was preventable and is the direct result of open border policies that prioritized illegal aliens over the safety of American citizens.”
“Secretary Noem is praying for Zachary Carach’s quick recovery. To report suspicious criminal activity or sightings of Lopez Infante, call 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) — help President Trump, Secretary Noem, and our brave law enforcement remove these public safety threats from our communities and make America safe again,” McLaughlin added.
After his apprehension at the border on August 1, 2023, Lopez Infante was released on August 14, 2023, to await removal proceedings. Over a year later, he was ordered to be deported on September 25, 2024, by an immigration judge, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
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Carach spent five days in a Nashville hospital before he was transported to a hospital in Florida to continue treatment. His legs and arms were seriously injured, requiring surgery to put screws into his left leg. His mother <a href="https://weartv.com/news/local/mother-of-escambia-county-hit-and-run-victim-speaks-out-as-search-intensifies-for-suspect">told</a> a local Florida news station that he is expected to be in a wheelchair for at least two to three months.
<div id="attachment_930123" style="width: 549px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-930123" class="wp-image-930123 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/unnamed-4.png" alt="" width="539" height="238" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/unnamed-4.png 539w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/unnamed-4-300x132.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px" />Carach was struck by a vehicle on May 18.</div>
Metro Nashville Police said that Lopez Infante will be <a href="https://www.nashville.gov/departments/police/news/suspect-sought-hit-and-run-crash-seriously-injured-pedestrian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged</a> with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, failure to render aid/file an accident report, attempted evidence tampering, and driving without a license/insurance once he is apprehended. He also faces another charge related to an arrest over theft in Williamson County, a wealthy area south of Nashville.
Local Nashville officials, including Democratic Mayor Freddie O’Connell, have bashed the Trump administration’s efforts to remove illegal aliens from the streets. O’Connell pledged to <a href="https://www.nashville.gov/departments/mayor/news/belonging-fund-launches-provide-emergency-support-immigrants-nashville">support</a> the creation of the “Belonging Fund,” intended to provide financial support to illegal aliens after Immigration and Customs Enforcement partnered with the Tennessee Highway Patrol to conduct traffic stops where they apprehended nearly one hundred illegal aliens with criminal convictions or pending charges.
These protests by Music City Democrats have prompted Border Czar Tom Homan to threaten a visit to implement a broader crackdown on illegal aliens.

MixCollage-05-Jun-2025-04-35-PM-2631

Man Wanted In Nashville Hit-And-Run Is Illegal Alien Released Into Country By Biden

Crime

Illegal Immigation

Kristi Noem

Venezuela

An illegal alien who authorities say shot at a police chopper has been arrested and is being held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer.
Authorities say Nelson Garcia-Arevalo, 17, fired a stolen rifle at a Metro Nashville Police Department helicopter out of the window of a stolen car. He had allegedly used the stolen car to rob a gun store, where he obtained the stolen rifle and four handguns. He has been <a href="https://www.nashville.gov/departments/police/news/teen-probation-arrested-shooting-car-mnpd-helicopter-overhead">charged</a> with two counts of felony reckless endangerment.
Garcia-Arevalo was with two 15-year-olds who have been charged with vehicle theft, unlawful gun possession, and evading arrest. Video from Nashville police shows the three suspects fleeing law enforcement after they vacated the stolen vehicle.
The Davidson County Sheriff&#8217;s Office has confirmed to The Daily Wire that ICE filed a detainer request to gain custody of Garcia-Arevalo, and that it would comply with the federal law enforcement agency’s request. A spokesperson with the department said they did not know Garcia-Arevalo&#8217;s country of origin.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
WATCH: With an MNPD helicopter overhead, 3 teens bail from a stolen car this afternoon on Amalie Dr. The car had been used in a Dickson gun store burglary on Thur. The 17-old-driver, on probation for shooting at a police helicopter last year, fired shots in the air again today. <a href="https://t.co/cBhJNiYWwN">pic.twitter.com/cBhJNiYWwN</a>
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) <a href="https://twitter.com/MNPDNashville/status/1926077748906234100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
This wasn’t the first time that Garcia-Arevalo had been arrested for a violent crime, however. The teenager was already on probation after he fired at an undercover police officer and another police helicopter, and was convicted of felony aggravated assault.
The immigration detainer comes amid an ongoing feud between Nashville Democratic Mayor Freddie O’Connell, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), and the Department of Homeland Security. O&#8217;Connell fumed after ICE arrested 196 illegal aliens in Music City and pledged to <a href="https://www.nashville.gov/departments/mayor/news/belonging-fund-launches-provide-emergency-support-immigrants-nashville">support</a> the creation of the “Belonging Fund,” intended to provide financial support to illegal aliens.
Of the nearly 200 illegal aliens arrested by ICE in the Nashville raids, 95 had prior criminal convictions or pending charges. The operation resulted in the arrest of sex offenders, rapists, drug runners, and even suspected members of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpencerLndqst?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpencerLndqst</a> rips into Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell on <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FoxNews</a> over the allegations of him obstructing ICE:
&#8220;Is he on the side of the people of Nashville, the American citizens&#8230; or is he on the side of drug runners, cartel members, rapists, and sex offenders?&#8221;
🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://t.co/88YFyNFV4k">pic.twitter.com/88YFyNFV4k</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1928157440001876386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
Now, the House Judiciary Committee and House Homeland Security Committee have launched <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-congressman-hits-mayors-over-opposition-to-ice-were-going-to-hold-you-accountable?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Tennessee+Congressman+Hits+Mayor+Over+Opposition+To+ICE%3A+%E2%80%98We%E2%80%99re+Going+To+Hold+You+Accountable%E2%80%99">investigations</a> into the Nashville mayor with the hopes of obtaining communications between city officials and non-profit groups concerning the ICE operations. Rep. Ogles noted that Republicans are also interested in internal documents and communications relating to a new executive order from the mayor, which mandated that city employees report all communications with ICE to the mayor’s office.
Tensions grew after O’Connell’s office <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nashvilles-democrat-mayor-doxxes-ice-agents?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Nashville%E2%80%99s+Democrat+Mayor+Doxxes+ICE+Agents">doxxed</a> the names of ICE agents when it released data on interactions between the federal law enforcement agents and city employees.
“They claimed it was a mistake. There’s zero chance it was a mistake and there will be repercussions,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “He’s essentially handing over intelligence to these criminal gangs so they can target our ICE enforcement officers.”

Nashville Illegal Alien

Illegal Alien Held On ICE Detainer After Firing At Police Chopper With Stolen Gun

deportation

Immigration

Politics

Nashville City Council members denied that the United States is facing an invasion from illegal aliens and instead blamed Europeans for their “invasion” of America in 1492 amid an ongoing battle over the city’s response to illegal immigration.
The comment came in a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DKNErrHOehh/?ref=pamphleteer.co">letter</a> from the Nashville city council&#8217;s Immigrant Caucus, which slammed fellow council member David Benton after he spoke alongside Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) as the congressman called for an investigation into Nashville Democratic Mayor Freddie O’Connell, who condemned raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Music City.
The Caucus, which is chaired by council member Terry Vo, accused Benton of pushing “racist propaganda” and turned its ire to “European colonizers.”
“We remind him, and the public, that the only true ‘invasion’ of this land occurred in 1492 with the arrival of European colonizers,” the statement reads as it addresses Benton in an apparent reference to Christopher Columbus. “To weaponize the concept of invasion against immigrant communities is both historically ignorant and morally reprehensible.”
The letter falsely claimed that the illegal aliens captured by ICE &#8220;are not criminals,&#8221; and even called illegal aliens the “backbone of this city and this nation.”
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Beyond unlawfully entering the United States, which is itself a crime, many of the illegal aliens captured by ICE have been convicted of additional offenses. An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-dems-rage-over-nashville-ice-raids-that-targeted-rapists-and-gang-members?author=Spencer+Lindquist+and+Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Dems+Rage+Over+Nashville+ICE+Raids+That+Targeted+Rapists+And+Gang+Members">exclusive report</a> from The Daily Wire revealed that, of the 196 illegal aliens arrested in Music City since early May, 95 had prior criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, and 31 had allegedly committed a felony by re-entering the United States after previously being deported.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpencerLndqst?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpencerLndqst</a> rips into Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell on <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FoxNews</a> over the allegations of him obstructing ICE:
&#8220;Is he on the side of the people of Nashville, the American citizens&#8230; or is he on the side of drug runners, cartel members, rapists, and sex offenders?&#8221;
🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://t.co/88YFyNFV4k">pic.twitter.com/88YFyNFV4k</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1928157440001876386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
ICE’s raids in Nashville resulted in the capture of rapists, sex offenders, drug peddlers, and members of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, two vicious gangs that the Trump administration recently designated as foreign terror organizations.
Mayor O&#8217;Connell not only condemned the raids, but even <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nashvilles-democrat-mayor-doxxes-ice-agents?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Nashville’s+Democrat+Mayor+Doxxes+ICE+Agents">doxxed</a> the names of ICE agents involved. The mayor&#8217;s office maintains that the doxxing was an accident, but the Department of Homeland Security said there is &#8220;zero chance it was a mistake.&#8221;

Columbus Statue

Nashville Council Members Blame ‘European Colonizers’ For ‘Invasion’ Amid Illegal Immigration Crisis

Deportations

Nashville’s Democrat mayor released the names of multiple federal law enforcement agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), drawing ire from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who say that the mayor is putting law enforcement at risk.
Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s office <a href="https://x.com/KarenAFox17/status/1927828245686194453">released</a> information on interactions between ICE agents and Nashville emergency service personnel, dropping data that included the names of federal law enforcement personnel. O’Connell says their names were released by mistake, but the Department of Homeland Security isn’t convinced.
“They claimed it was a mistake. There’s zero chance it was a mistake and there will be repercussions,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin charged in response to the incident. “Our ICE enforcement officers are already facing a 400% increase in assaults against them and he’s essentially handing over intelligence to these criminal gangs so they can target our ICE enforcement officers. It’s wrong. It’s beneath the city of Nashville.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Nashville Mayor is protecting illegal aliens and gang members over his constituents.
At a time when our ICE officers are facing a 413% increase in assaults, Mayor O&#8217;Connell is doxxing the names of law enforcement agents removing criminal illegal aliens from his city.… <a href="https://t.co/bKB0Ed3HSE">pic.twitter.com/bKB0Ed3HSE</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1928066913109680151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
“The Nashville Mayor is protecting illegal aliens and gang members over his constituents,” DHS charged.
The doxxing of the federal agents by O’Connell’s office comes just after Congressman Andy Ogles (R-TN) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-congressman-hits-mayors-over-opposition-to-ice-were-going-to-hold-you-accountable?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Tennessee+Congressman+Hits+Mayor+Over+Opposition+To+ICE%3A+%E2%80%98We%E2%80%99re+Going+To+Hold+You+Accountable%E2%80%99">confirmed</a> that the House Judiciary Committee and Homeland Security launched investigations into O’Connell, who condemned ICE after agents carried out enforcement operations in Nashville and signed an executive order requiring city officials to report any correspondence with ICE agents.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) also blasted O’Connell, accusing him of “putting ICE agents and law enforcement in harm’s way by releasing their names for criminal gangs to see.”
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“These men and women have risked their lives to make our communities safer by removing gangs, rapists, and other heinous criminals from our communities,” the Senator from Tennessee added. “Shame on him.”
An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-dems-rage-over-nashville-ice-raids-that-targeted-rapists-and-gang-members?author=Spencer+Lindquist+and+Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Dems+Rage+Over+Nashville+ICE+Raids+That+Targeted+Rapists+And+Gang+Members">exclusive report</a> from The Daily Wire revealed that, of the 196 illegal aliens arrested by ICE in Nashville in a weeklong raid, 95 had prior criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpencerLndqst?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpencerLndqst</a> rips into Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell on <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FoxNews</a> over the allegations of him obstructing ICE:
&#8220;Is he on the side of the people of Nashville, the American citizens&#8230; or is he on the side of drug runners, cartel members, rapists, and sex offenders?&#8221;
🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://t.co/88YFyNFV4k">pic.twitter.com/88YFyNFV4k</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1928157440001876386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
Included in the nearly 200 illegal aliens arrested by ICE in Music City are sex offenders, convicted rapists, Tren de Aragua and MS-13 members, and drug runners, as well as 31 people who reentered the United States after previously being deported, a felony offense.

Mayor Freddie O’Connell

Nashville’s Democrat Mayor Doxxes ICE Agents

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles slammed Nashville&#8217;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&#8217;s time that we start deporting these folks, we&#8217;re going to be looking into your city and where appropriate, we&#8217;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&#8217;ve had a 400% increase in attacks against law enforcement across the country.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepOgles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepOgles</a> joins <a href="https://twitter.com/MorningWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MorningWire</a> to discuss the investigation into Nashville&#8217;s mayor and his alleged obstruction of <a href="https://twitter.com/ICEgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ICEgov</a>. <a href="https://t.co/XuvI0apfY6">pic.twitter.com/XuvI0apfY6</a>
— Morning Wire (@MorningWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorningWire/status/1928098069607788869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
Ogles&#8217; comments came just after the congressman <a href="https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/congressman-andy-ogles-confirms-federal-investigation-into-nashville-mayors-office-over-illegal-immigration/">confirmed</a> 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.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
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… <a href="https://t.co/BGv8uocsTk">pic.twitter.com/BGv8uocsTk</a>
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepOgles/status/1927130867031294345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
It isn’t just Nashville’s mayor that Ogles has his eye on, however. There’s also State Representative <a href="https://www.wsmv.com/2025/05/14/tn-rep-andy-ogles-calls-investigation-into-nashville-leadership-obstructing-ice-operations/">Aftyn Bhen</a>, 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&#8217;s a crime.”
The ICE raids in Nashville, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-dems-rage-over-nashville-ice-raids-that-targeted-rapists-and-gang-members?author=Spencer+Lindquist+and+Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Dems+Rage+Over+Nashville+ICE+Raids+That+Targeted+Rapists+And+Gang+Members">first reported</a>, 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&#8217;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&#8217;re all over the country. They&#8217;re in Nashville. They&#8217;re in our small cities like Columbia and Tullahoma,” Ogles warned.
&#8220;I can tell you that these gangs are sophisticated. They&#8217;re in every city in our country. They have very sophisticated surveillance equipment, tactical equipment. This isn&#8217;t just some thug on the street selling drugs,&#8221; he added. &#8220;These are cartels and criminal enterprises that are moving and sweeping across our country.&#8221;
“If we don&#8217;t fight back, if we don&#8217;t take our cities and our streets back, you&#8217;re going to wake up and you&#8217;re going to see those gang members on the street corner in front of your elementary and middle schools, and then it&#8217;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&#8217;re to see on our streets, and I&#8217;m not going to stand for it,” Ogles said. “We&#8217;re going to find these people. We&#8217;re going to get them off our streets.”

Rep. Andy Ogles

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

deport

mass immigration

A former police officer was charged last week with leaking the writings of the transgender-identifying woman who murdered three children and three adults at the Covenant School in March 2023.
But retired Lt. Garet Davidson — who was arrested and jailed on May 6 — says that he&#8217;s innocent. Davidson claims he&#8217;s being retaliated against for a complaint he filed against the department criticizing its Covenant investigation in May 2024, four months after he retired.
Davidson&#8217;s May 2024 <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/17k--mes3tmiC54vjj0uiZ9NJTsc69cau/view" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> complaint</a> against the police department alleges numerous instances of misconduct by top police officials, including mismanagement of the Covenant investigation, a pattern of bias in disciplinary investigations, altering performance results for low-achieving recruits, avoiding accountability, and failure to follow sexual harassment policies.
Davidson&#8217;s legal team believes that the charges were brought in retaliation for his efforts to expose problems at the police department.
“The charges against retired MNPD Lieutenant Garet Davidson represent a transparent attempt to discredit and silence a whistleblower who exposed serious misconduct within the Metro Nashville Police Department,” Davidson’s legal team said. “We look forward to vigorously defending Mr. Davidson against these retaliatory charges.”
Davidson has <a href="https://tennesseestar.com/news/retired-mnpd-lt-garet-davidson-claims-fbi-told-nashville-police-not-to-release-documents-from-covenant-school-killer-audrey-elizabeth-hale-investigation-pointed-to-precedent-for-document-destruction/tpappert/2024/06/04/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">been outspoken</a> about the investigation into the Covenant shooting, telling conservative radio host Michael Patrick Leahy in June 2024 that the FBI sent a memo to police instructing them not to release any details of the attacker&#8217;s writings.
At the time, Davidson said that he had some concerns that there would be action taken against him based on the information he had shared about the FBI memo.
“I don’t put it beyond anybody,” he said. “Part of the reason why I left law enforcement was to avoid some aspects of retaliation, but that doesn’t guarantee anything.”
In the charges unveiled last week, Davidson is accused of being involved in the leak of the writings of the woman who entered the Covenant School, a Christian school in an affluent Nashville neighborhood, on March 27, 2023, and murdered six people before she was killed by police.
Following the attack, the police announced that the shooter had a &#8220;manifesto,&#8221; but refused to release it to the public. Despite that refusal, media outlets, including The Daily Wire, obtained portions and uncovered that the shooter wrote frequently of her desire to be a man and anger at her parents for resisting her so-called transition.
Prior to his arrest last week, Davidson had been linked to the police department&#8217;s investigation into the leak.
His home was raided by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in November 2024 in relation to the investigation into the leak. He faces two indictments: one charges him with theft, two counts of burglary, and 30 counts of official misconduct; the other charges him with six counts of official misconduct related to the Covenant School shooting.
The raid came after he was named in a June 2024 court filing on the leak, though he was not directly named as a leaker. That came just weeks after he filed a misconduct complaint against the police department, which included criticism of the Covenant investigation.
A GoFundMe Davidson set up to help with his legal expenses has been shut down. A spokesman for the platform told The Daily Wire that the fundraiser was removed because of its policies not to raise money for “the legal defense of financial and violent crimes, including those related to money laundering, murder, robbery, assault, battery, sex crimes or crimes against minors.”
The spokesman did not further elaborate on why the fundraiser had been shut down. A <a href="https://www.givesendgo.com/garetdavidson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GiveSendGo</a> page has since been set up for Davidson&#8217;s legal fees.
Last month, the Nashville police department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nashville-police-in-final-report-downplay-covenant-shooters-transgender-identity-hatred-of-christianity?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Nashville+Police+In+Final+Report+Downplay+Covenant+Shooter’s+Transgender+Identity%2C+Hatred+Of+Christianity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> its final investigative report into the shooting. The report, released over two years after the attack, downplayed the attacker&#8217;s hatred of Christianity and fixation on gender ideology and &#8220;white privilege.&#8221;

3 children, 3 teachers fatally shot in US city of Nashville school shooting

Retired Cop Accused Of Leaking Covenant Shooter’s Diary Says He’s Being Set Up

Police

The Covenant School

President Donald Trump deepens U.S. ties in the Middle East with historic economic partnerships, while domestic battles over tax cuts and Medicaid rage on in Congress. The Federal Aviation Administration calls an urgent meeting with airlines to address critical staff shortages and faulty equipment at major travel hubs, grounding thousands of flights. And, a sweeping ICE raid in Nashville nets nearly 200 illegal aliens, sparking backlash from the city’s Democratic mayor and a larger national debate on Homeland Security protocols. 
It’s Thursday, May 15, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
 
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If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2>Budget Battle Continues</h2>
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Topline: House Republicans negotiated Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” this week in marathon sessions that began Tuesday and stretched well into Wednesday morning. Lawmakers muscled the legislation forward to prepare it for passage by the end of next week.
As budget negotiations continue to shape the bill, Congressional Republicans are focused on permanently extending Trump’s 2017 &#8220;Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.&#8221; On top of that, Republicans want to make good on Trump’s campaign promises, such as no tax on tips, and boost funding for the military and immigration enforcement.
“We&#8217;re checking all the boxes,&#8221; Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) told Newsmax. “ [The president] promised no taxes on overtime, no taxes on Social Security, no taxes on, for example, interest on car loans that are made in America. A number of those things are woven into this bill, and we&#8217;ve made all the math work so we can do that.“
So far, Republicans have agreed on new tax exemptions for tips and overtime pay for those earning less than $160,000 annually. The government will pay $1,000 to parents for babies born through December 31, 2028. The House bill also raises the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction from $10,000 up to $30,000, which some Republicans in blue states have said is still not enough.
However, to balance the books, the GOP must find funding offsets. For example, the bill limits itemized deductions for the 37% top bracket, and some Inflation Reduction Act tax credits for electric vehicles and green energy will be scrapped, though not entirely until 2029. The bill would also introduce work requirements for able-bodied people to access Medicaid, and would create new safeguards to prevent waste and fraud, although those reforms could face opposition in the Senate.
And… Yesterday, the White House announced an agreement that it said would generate an economic exchange worth $1.2 trillion with Qatar. As part of that deal, Qatar Airways said it plans to buy as many as 210 planes from Boeing. The U.S. has also agreed to deeper military cooperation with Qatar. Earlier this week, the president struck deals with Saudi Arabia that the White House says are worth about $600 billion.
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<h2>FAA Reforms</h2>
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Topline: The Trump administration is putting pressure on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after several deadly plane crashes and concerns with staffing shortages.
On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy testified to lawmakers on a House Appropriations subcommittee about the Transportation Department’s new budget request. He’s asking for billions of dollars to update the country’s air traffic control system, which has been the target of widespread criticism after several deadly disasters and major snarls in the system.
Hundreds of flights were grounded at Newark Liberty International Airport last week when air traffic controllers lost communications with planes for about 90 seconds. Newark needs 38 air traffic controllers – it only has 24, and five of them are on a 45-day trauma leave due to stress resulting from recent problems. Also, construction at Newark has caused about 34 flight cancellations per day. Duffy blamed the Biden administration for failing to fix a broken system.
“This did not have to be our story,” Duffy said. “Over the last four years, the last administration, they knew this was a problem. And by the way, during COVID, when people weren’t flying, that was a perfect time to fix these problems.”
On Wednesday, airlines met with the FAA to address the situation at Newark. The FAA is already working on the Newark airport — it installed a software update to prevent another outage and is slashing the number of flights for now.
Duffy has made reversing the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI ) hiring practices implemented under the Obama and Biden administrations a major focus and has introduced a new recruitment program to address the air traffic controller shortage. He also <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/5290613-sean-duffy-air-traffic-control-overhaul/">wants</a> to invest in new equipment — new radios for air traffic controllers, radar on the ground, tarmac sensors, and a new flight management system to improve airspace efficiency. As he was testifying to Congress on Wednesday, Duffy’s Transportation Department announced it had just approved dozens more infrastructure grants, for a total of 405 grants worth nearly $5 billion so far. The department says it has cleared about 13% of the backlog under former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who served during the Biden administration.
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<h2>Nashville ICE Raids Nab Nearly 200 Illegals</h2>
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Topline: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried out a week of raids in Nashville, Tennessee, arresting nearly 200 illegal aliens and prompting outrage from the city’s Democratic mayor.
A week-long ICE raid in Nashville that started on May 3 captured nearly 200 illegal aliens, many of whom have been convicted of criminal offenses. Of the 196 illegal aliens detained by ICE, 95 had prior criminal convictions or pending charges, and 31 had illegally re-entered the United States after previously being deported.
A Daily Wire investigation found that one of the illegal aliens captured is a 60-year-old Iraqi national who was convicted of rape and failed to register as a sex offender. Another is a 33-year-old from El Salvador believed to be affiliated with MS-13, a violent gang that was recently designated a foreign terror organization by the Trump administration. The government of El Salvador also suspects the man of committing aggravated murder. There’s also a Haitian male convicted of possessing meth with the intent to distribute, a Salvadoran convicted of possessing cocaine with the intent to manufacture and sell the drug, and a Guatemalan national with a conviction for aggravated assault.
Nashville Democratic Mayor Freddie O’Connell said that ICE’s immigration enforcement raids caused “deep community harms” and added that he was “heartbroken” over the federal law enforcement agency’s actions. O’Connell announced the creation of the “belonging fund,” a joint project between the city of Nashville and a local foundation to support organizations that assist illegal aliens with their childcare, transportation, and food needs. The mayor also signed an executive order requiring city employees and police to report any communications with ICE to his office.
But Nashville Legal Director Wally Dietz said that the city government can do nothing to prevent ICE from carrying out enforcement operations in Nashville. “We are powerless. We have absolutely no authority to instruct ICE not to carry out their enforcement actions…we have no authority to tell [Tennessee Highway Patrol] they cannot cooperate with ICE.”
Tricia McLaughlin, the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, called O’Connell a “pro-open borders politician&#8221; who would “rather protect illegal aliens than American citizens.” O’Connell was also slammed by ICE acting director Todd Lyons, who said that the Nashville mayor should be thanking the federal law enforcement agency for protecting his city.

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Morning Brief: Budget Battles, Billion-Dollar Bets & ICE Busts

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NASHVILLE — The federal deportation raids in Tennessee that have garnered outrage from local Democrats resulted in the capture of rapists, drug dealers, and gang members, according to a Department of Homeland Security dossier obtained by The Daily Wire.
Nashville&#8217;s Democrat mayor Freddie O&#8217;Connell has <a href="https://fox17.com/news/local/nashville-mayor-issues-new-protocol-for-metro-employees-amid-ice-communication-fallout">said</a> he was very &#8220;frustrated&#8221; to see immigration enforcement in the city, stating, &#8220;We did not request this approach to safety, we do not support it.&#8221; In response, he signed an executive order mandating that communications from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) be directed to his office immediately.
His outrage comes with little public information known about the scale about the raid, but The Daily Wire has learned that nearly 200 illegal aliens were captured during the weeklong raids, including rapists, drug dealers, and gang members.
The raids, which ICE carried out in conjunction with local and federal law enforcement partners, began on May 3 and resulted in the arrest of 196 illegal aliens. Of those arrested, 95 had prior criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, while another 31 had reentered the country after being previously removed from the United States, a felony offense, the federal law enforcement agency told The Daily Wire.
“This operation resulted in getting gang members, sex offenders, and other violent criminals off Nashville’s streets,&#8221; Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, told The Daily Wire. &#8220;President Trump and Secretary Noem will continue to stand with victims and the brave ICE agents who are on the frontlines making America safe again.&#8221;
Here are some of the criminal illegal aliens captured in Nashville:
Jassim Jafaf Al-Raash, a 60-year-old convicted rapist and citizen of Iraq. Al-Raash failed to register as a sex offender following his rape convictions, for which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The Iraqi national was also convicted of false imprisonment and larceny.
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ICE also captured Franklin Oswaldo Velasquez-Reyes, a 33-year-old Salvadoran who is affiliated with MS-13, a violent gang that was recently named a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump State Department. El Salvador suspects Velasquez-Reyes of committing aggravated murder and issued a notice requesting foreign governments to locate and arrest Velasquez-Reyes. The Salvadoran national has several criminal convictions, including possession of methamphetamines, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to appear, and criminal impersonation.
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Haitian national Richard St. Baptiste, who was sentenced to eight years in prison for possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. St. Baptiste was also sentenced to 30 days in prison for marijuana possession.
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Inmar Antonio Penado-Membreno, a 34-year-old Salvadoran, was sentenced to eight years in prison for possession with intent to manufacture, deliver, and sell cocaine and four years for aggravated assault.
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Carlos Reinaldo Alvarado-Rodriguez, a 39-year-old citizen of Guatemala with a conviction for aggravated assault.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-919551 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screen-Shot-2025-05-13-at-9.54.57-AM-260x300.png" alt="" width="260" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screen-Shot-2025-05-13-at-9.54.57-AM-260x300.png 260w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screen-Shot-2025-05-13-at-9.54.57-AM-499x576.png 499w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screen-Shot-2025-05-13-at-9.54.57-AM.png 548w" sizes="(max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px" />The five criminal illegal aliens were joined by a 39-year-old Mexican national who had been deported from the United States six different times and was convicted of felony domestic assault and sex with a minor; a 37-year-old Venezuelan affiliated with Tren de Aragua; a 28-year-old Mexican national convicted of reckless aggravated assault; and another Mexican national who was convicted of drug possession.
“You would think all public officials would unite around DHS bringing violent criminal illegal aliens to justice and removing them from American communities,&#8221; McLaughlin charged. &#8220;However, pro-open borders politicians — like Mayor O’Connell — would rather protect illegal aliens than American citizens.” 
O&#8217;Connell, Nashville&#8217;s mayor, not only spoke out against the raids, but also put local resources towards helping the illegal immigrant community. He announced the creation of the “belonging fund” to offer monetary support for illegal aliens. The fund will allocate money to non-profit organizations that provide childcare, transportation, and food to illegal aliens, though the money will not be used to provide them with legal assistance.
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons told The Daily Wire that O’Connell should be thankful for the federal agency’s operations in Nashville.
“Instead of vilifying the brave men and women who ensure his constituents stay safe from criminal alien murderers, drug dealers and rapists, the mayor should be saying thank you to ICE and its partners for taking these public safety threats out of his neighborhoods.”
RJ Hauman, the president of National Immigration Center Enforcement and visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, similarly slammed Nashville’s Democrat mayor.
“Sanctuary city mayors keep trying to outdo each other, and Americans are fed up,&#8221; Hauman said. “ICE is stepping up, nabbing serious criminals like child rapists and Tren de Aragua gang members. The American people are behind ICE’s work to kick these threats out and keep our communities safe. Now it’s time for Congress to give them more resources.”
Despite O’Connell’s response to the ICE raids, Nashville’s Legal Director Wally Dietz admitted that the city has no authority to obstruct the operations.
“We are powerless, we have absolutely no authority to instruct ICE not to carry out their enforcement actions,” Dietz explained. “We have no authority to tell THP they cannot cooperate with ICE,” he added, referring to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R) praised the raids, saying. “No one wants these criminals in their community” and that it was &#8220;a good thing that ICE is rounding them up and deporting them.”

ICE arrest

EXCLUSIVE: Dems Rage Over Nashville ICE Raids That Targeted Rapists And Gang Members

Border

A Republican-backed bill allowing Tennessee citizens victimized by illegal aliens to sue non-governmental organizations that provided housing to that illegal alien has been sent to Governor Bill Lee’s desk.
The <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB0811" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a> was passed by the Tennessee House 70-23 on Wednesday, advancing the bill to the governor’s desk. The legislation would give citizens harmed by an illegal alien a private right of action to sue entities enabling illegal immigration.
“This is a public safety bill in keeping with the Trump administration’s renewed focus on illegal immigration,” Republican Rep. Rusty Grills, who sponsored the legislation, <a href="https://tnga.granicus.com/player/clip/31956?view_id=775&amp;redirect=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on the House floor. “What we&#8217;re doing with this bill is anyone who is a victim of crime committed by an illegal alien will have a private right of action against any NGO that has assisted an illegal alien with housing in a community.”
Grills noted that housing as defined in the bill would not include homeless shelters or storm shelters, as some Democrat opponents have claimed. It would include long-term housing situations or rental homes.
In the Senate, the bill was sponsored by Republican Sen. Brent Taylor and passed 24-4 earlier this month.
The text of the legislation says that NGOs “may be held liable for a loss, damages, injury, or death resulting from a criminal offense committed by the person who is unlawfully present in the United States while the person is receiving housing services from the charitable organization if the charitable organization&#8217;s conduct in providing housing constitutes negligence, gross negligence, or willful and wanton misconduct.”
Many NGOs have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-the-ngos-enabling-mass-immigration-under-the-banner-of-religion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">faced scrutiny</a> over their role in facilitating mass migration into the United States and some have been accused of enabling human trafficking.
Tennesseans have not been exempt from the flood of illegal immigrants that occurred under former President Joe Biden. For example, nearly 3,000 illegal aliens <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-data-show-how-much-crime-illegal-immigrants-committed-in-red-state?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=New+Data+Show+How+Much+Crime+Illegal+Immigrants+Committed+In+Red+State" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were arrested</a> in Tennessee for crimes ranging from murder to rape during the last three months of 2024.
In one prominent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/saying-goodbye-is-hard-nashville-restaurant-closes-doors-after-owner-killed-by-illegal-immigrant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">case</a>, local Nashville business owner Matt Carney was killed by an illegal immigrant from Mexico during an attempted robbery at his beloved restaurant.
On Tuesday, the House also sent another <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB0833" target="_blank" rel="noopener">illegal immigration bill</a> to Lee’s desk in a 75-20 vote. The bill would require law enforcement, with the exception of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, to “report monthly to the department of safety each interaction that the law enforcement agency had with illegal aliens over the previous month.”
Reports need to include “the date of the interaction, the number of illegal aliens encountered, and a description of identification documents, if any, in their possession.”
Another bill, which would allow schools in Tennessee to charge illegal aliens tuition, has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/red-state-senate-passes-bill-allowing-schools-to-stop-giving-illegal-aliens-free-education?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Red+State+Senate+Passes+Bill+Allowing+Schools+To+Stop+Giving+Illegal+Aliens+Free+Education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed the Senate</a>, but was placed behind the budget by the House as the session is coming to a close. The bill still could be revived, but it has currently stalled out. Backers of the bill hope to challenge Plyler v. Doe, a Supreme Court decision that forced states to provide education to illegal aliens.

TOPSHOT-MEXICO-HONDURAS-US-MIGRATION

Red State Deals Major Blow To Groups That Facilitate Illegal Immigration

Bill Lee

The final police report on Nashville&#8217;s deadly Covenant School shooting, released more than two years after the attack, claims the motive of the attack was &#8220;notoriety&#8221; and makes little mention of the shooter&#8217;s radical positions on gender, race, or religious animus.
While pages from the writings of the 28-year-old woman who murdered three children and three adults at The Covenant School in March 2023 demonstrate that she was fixated on gender ideology and &#8220;white privilege,&#8221; police <a href="https://www.nashville.gov/sites/default/files/2025-04/Covenant_Final_Summary.pdf?ct=1743609642" target="_blank" rel="noopener">say</a> that she was primarily motivated by a desire for notoriety. Investigators said that neither her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/covenant-journal-revealed-my-imaginary-penis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">documented hatred</a> of Christianity or affluent white people played a role in her targeting of The Covenant School, a Presbyterian school in a wealthy area of Nashville.
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&#8220;Regarding why she selected The Covenant, many have speculated [the shooter] selected this location for racial, religious, or economic motives,&#8221; the report said. &#8220;It is certainly true she raged over these topics at times in her writings. But none of those motives impacted her decision to attack The Covenant.&#8221;
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Instead, the police said that Covenant was targeted because the attacker, who was killed by police, believed that she would receive greater notoriety by murdering young children. Three of the victims of the March 27, 2023, attack — Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney — were all just 9 years old. The other victims of the attack were adults Michael Hill, Katherine Koonce, and Cynthia Peak.
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Throughout the report, police made little mention of the attacker&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/covenant-shooter-cited-transgender-rights-in-shooting-spree-manifesto-contradicting-official-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">transgender identity</a>, only mentioning that she identified as a male and that she had made references to wanting to transition. 
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&#8220;It should be noted that in life, the offender &#8230; gender identified as a male and used he/him as preferred pronouns. Under Tennessee law, a person’s gender identity must correspond with their biological sex or with information present on their certificate of live birth,&#8221; police wrote. &#8220;As [the attacker] was a biological female at the time of her death and throughout the incidents described in this summary and in the case file, [the attacker] will be referred to as a female.&#8221;
In the only other mention of her transgender identity, investigators said that they uncovered no evidence of her undergoing any gender medical procedures.
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&#8220;Nothing has been found to suggest she initiated or was undergoing a transition at the time of her death, including medical documentation,&#8221; police wrote. &#8220;During her autopsy following her death, it was determined she was biologically female.&#8221; 
These mentions don&#8217;t appear to fully take into account the attacker&#8217;s transgender identity, which dominated her life.
In journal entries previously published by The Daily Wire, the attacker wrote just weeks before the deadly shooting about her fantasy of having an “imaginary penis” and said that it was a &#8220;f***ing curse&#8221; that she was born a woman.
“I want to know what that’s like, but I never will because I was damned to be born this way,” she wrote in the journal of her desire to have a penis. “I swear to f*** I hate it so goddamned much. It’s a f***ing curse.”
<div id="attachment_750005" style="width: 730px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-750005" class="size-full wp-image-750005" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/page2_720.jpg" alt="Image of Covenant School shooter's journal obtained by The Daily Wire" width="720" height="480" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/page2_720.jpg 720w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/page2_720-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />Image of Covenant School shooter&#8217;s journal obtained by The Daily Wire</div>
She said that puberty ruined her life, lamenting the fact that her parents never put her on puberty blockers.
“A bare flat chest made me free. Girl puberty imprisoned me. And so does my mind. Puberty = life sentence. The people in this world adds more bullets to shoot violent thoughts into my head on full-auto,&#8221; she wrote.
In other journal entries, the attacker made clear her hatred of  Christianity and people with &#8220;white privilege,&#8221; which she believed hindered her development.
For example, she wrote that she wanted to kill “crackers going to private fancy schools&#8221; and explained why she rejected her parents&#8217; faith.
“Parents actually believe religion can change nature,” the shooter wrote. “That could explain why I don’t practice religion anymore. Let kids think for themselves, listening to parents does no damned good but to mold their premature minds into a pre-formatted program.”
These writings were portions from 16 notebooks, which some have referred to as her manifesto, and were the subject of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nashville-judge-appears-to-back-off-on-threats-to-punish-journalist-over-articles-on-covenant-shooter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lengthy legal battle</a>. In their report, police denied the existence of a manifesto, saying that there was no singular &#8220;document explaining why she committed the attack, why she specifically targeted The Covenant, and what she hoped to gain, if anything, with the attack.&#8221;
Police investigators also ruled that the attacker was &#8220;sane&#8221; despite numerous mental health disorders.
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&#8220;Despite all her assorted mental health disorders, [the attacker] was certainly sane,&#8221; police wrote. &#8220;She was capable of adjusting her plans as needed, manipulating others into seeing her as meek and nonthreatening, and fully understood her attack was not only criminal but morally reprehensible.&#8221;
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Police say that the attacker first started to fantasize about carrying out a school shooting in 2017 before beginning to plan one in 2018.
&#8220;By this point, [the shooter] wrote how she was tired of being alone and ignored, ostracized by those she felt were her friends, and shunned by society for being autistic,&#8221; the police wrote. &#8220;After writing an expletive rant directed towards her &#8216;best friend&#8217; for choosing a relationship with a man over her, [the shooter] decided it was time to make others notice her for a change. She felt by &#8216;killing a bunch of children&#8217; she would no longer be ignored.&#8221;
Police said that the attacker floated in her mind a number of different targets, including various Nashville schools and malls. At one point, one of her plans was disrupted after her guns were confiscated by her parents, with whom she lived in Nashville.
She moved away from targeting one school because it was predominantly black, worrying that she &#8220;would be seen as a racist, which would affect how much control she had over the narrative after her death and allow others to state her motive behind the attack.&#8221;
Eventually, police say that she settled on the Covenant School because she believed she would receive more notoriety by attacking a Christian school and that the faith of the students would make them &#8220;meek and afraid.&#8221; She prepared for the attack for years, even going on a tour of the facility in September 2021 so she could map out the school&#8217;s layout in preparation.
Despite this conclusion, police said that the attacker never left behind any evidence of having a specific animosity for the Covenant School.
&#8220;She never remarked of being bullied and ostracized there; on the contrary, she remarked on a couple of occasions how she established friendships, which included play-dates at the homes of other children and a sense of acceptance,&#8221; police said. &#8220;She gave no examples of how anyone at the school belittled her or harmed her, as she did in other places she attended school.&#8220;
At the end of the report, investigators officially closed the investigation, saying that they identified no other individuals who were criminally culpable for the shooting.

Nashville Police In Final Report Downplay Covenant Shooter’s Transgender Identity, Hatred Of Christianity

School Shooting

Transgender

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