A Democratic mayor is defending the public release of names of federal immigration officers involved in mass migrant round ups, claiming that the real concern isn’t their safety, but that masked agents are ‘whisking people’ away.
Names of agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were posted to online by the City of Nashville, as part of a public records request that mandates information about immigration be posted online to a city website.
Mayor Freddie O’Connell is currently under investigation by two Congressional committees for allegedly helping illegal immigrants in Music City evade deportations.
‘I understand the concerns but it’s not a process that I would characterize as doxing,’ O’Connell told reporters at a press conference Wednesday.
‘It was an unintentional release of names that was already part of a public record.’
However a local Republican Congressman who is leading the investigations against the mayor slammed O’Connell on social media.
‘ICE agents and their families are not safe because of Freddie’s reckless actions,’ Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles tweeted.
‘He’s not even sorry. The pushback was so intense, O’Connell had to abruptly end the press gaggle. This investigation is far from over. Stay tuned.’
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell defended releasing the agents’ names online
Federal agents stand outside of immigration court hearings, at Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on June 10, 2025 in New York City
Identities of federal agents, which are protected in certain situations by law, were posted online, but later taken down after push back from the the Department of Homeland Security (DHS.)
‘We’ve obviously had some concerns from DHS about releasing those names. They would still be discoverable, but that was not an intent of an executive order,’ the mayor explained.
‘It wasn’t an intentional process. Using multiple local departments, we’ve had multiple people whose names have been there, but again, this is something new. We’re reviewing it.
While being questioned about the release of the names, O’Connell shifted attention over to criticism of the ICE tactics during immigration arrest.
‘I’m far more concerned about the overall dynamic we have about unmarked, unidentifiable masked people whisking people into vehicles. I think that’s a much bigger concern.’
Videos of migrant arrests from across the country show ICE agents who have their face covered and refuse to give their name, show a badge or even identify what agency they work with.
ICE is not acting alone. Instead, the Trump administration has mobilized almost every federal law enforcement to aid in the illegal immigrant arrests as agents have been ordered to arrest 3,000 illegal immigrants a day.
FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI,) and Border Patrol are among the agencies assisting ICE.
Federal agents have face increasing backlash, sometimes with death or violent threats in cities like Los Angeles
The Trump administration has ordered officials to increase detentions to 3,000 migrants per day
In cities like Los Angeles, federal agents have faced increasingly violent threats.
Protestors have targeted them, following them and posting the location of their hotels online with comments like, ‘Burn them.’
Anti-ICE demonstrations include coordinated efforts to show up to hotels at night and honk, scream, play loud music, in an effort to disturb their sleep at night.
