‘The Interest Here Is Just in Transparency’

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell denied intentionally releasing the names of immigration agents, as alleged by Republican lawmakers and the Trump administration, which claimed the disclosure put agents’ lives at risk.

At a Friday press conference, O’Connell explained that the names were unintentionally included in a report produced under an executive order requiring city employees to notify the mayor’s office of all interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“We’ve had a training process, and I will say our Metro Nashville Police Department has been very effective in this. We will be reviewing not just how that information is recorded as it comes into publicly available processes, but also then what does get posted,” O’Connell stated, according to reporting by WKRN.

“The interest here is just in transparency. It is not in obstruction or doing anything that would be considered harmful,” he added.

Unrelated to the name disclosures, O’Connell is now under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) following his public condemnation of ICE operations in Nashville earlier this month. In May alone, nearly 200 immigrants were detained, many without criminal records. The mayor called for the release of their names and charges earlier this month.

The U.S. House Committees on Homeland Security, chaired by Republican Tennessee Rep. Mark Green, and the Judiciary stated that the federal probe will examine “state and local jurisdictions that endanger American communities through efforts to obstruct the work of federal immigration officials,” according to reporting by News Channel 5.

O’Connell addressed the investigation at Friday’s press conference, stating, “My job is to protect residents. That means both getting violent criminals off the streets and protecting innocent Nashvillians.”