Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) didn’t mince words in a recent Breitbart News Daily interview, accusing Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell of aligning with criminal illegal aliens over his own constituents. Blackburn says O’Connell has not only ignored public safety but has gone so far as to put federal law enforcement agents in danger.
“He has sided with criminal illegal aliens over law-abiding citizens and residents of Nashville,” Blackburn stated. “And he has doxed the names and operations of Homeland Security and ICE agents.” According to Blackburn, this reckless move has endangered agents and created what she calls a “de facto sanctuary city”—which, she notes, is illegal under Tennessee law.
The senator is now calling for the Department of Justice to investigate. Her concern? That O’Connell’s actions have actively protected individuals involved in sex trafficking, gang violence, and other violent crimes. “Nobody wants these individuals in their community,” she said, citing gang members from MS-13 and Tren de Aragua—both recognized as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government.
Blackburn highlighted that Tennessee law enforcement recently arrested 196 illegal aliens, many with convictions for rape, child abuse, murder, and assault. “The vast majority of Tennesseans support deportations of criminal illegals,” she asserted. “It makes the streets safer.”
The mayor’s alleged interference comes on the heels of several high-profile immigration enforcement actions, including mass ICE arrests and new travel bans by President Trump. Blackburn’s warning: Americans should realize that illegal entry is a crime and that it carries consequences. “Illegal is illegal,” she said bluntly. “There’s not a country in the world where you can enter illegally and not face arrest.”
Mike Slater, host of Breitbart News Daily, agreed with Blackburn’s assessment, noting that citizens across the country are fed up with cities that shelter criminals at the expense of public safety. Blackburn stressed that her office hasn’t heard from a single constituent who wants violent offenders in their communities.
“It makes law enforcement’s job safer when these individuals are removed,” Blackburn said, calling deportations a vital tool for national security.
The firestorm over Nashville’s sanctuary-style policies comes at a time when voters are sharply divided over immigration enforcement. President Trump’s administration has already taken action to halt illegal immigration and deport foreign nationals who pose a threat. Now, Republican lawmakers like Blackburn are turning their focus to elected officials who obstruct those efforts.
Whether the DOJ steps in remains to be seen—but Blackburn made clear the days of soft-on-crime sanctuary politics may be numbered. And for Democrat mayors enabling criminal aliens, the message is unmistakable: federal scrutiny is coming.
