Nashville mayor stands behind doxing ICE agents even after officials said his actions put them in danger
The Democratic mayor of Tennessee's largest city, who has been accused of obstructing federal immigration efforts, defended his office's decision to publicly dox the names of immigration officers.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell's defense came even after the names of federal immigration officials were removed from a public immigration report detailing a month's worth of immigration-related interactions between local police and federal immigration authorities.
Initially, the public report detailed immigration officers' names, but following backlash over the move the names were taken down.
"I wouldn't say it was an endangerment process, I would say they may have some concerns – 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 bigger concern," O'Connell, who is currently under investigation by GOP House lawmakers for potentially interfering with federal immigration efforts, said during a press conference with reporters.
O'Connell did add the move was not "intentional," but then quickly followed up that he wouldn't have described what happened as "doxing" in the first place.
"It's not a process that I would characterize as doxing. It was an unintentional release of names that were already part of a public record," he told reporters. "They were already part of a public record by being in Department of Emergency Communication's calls, so I don't think it puts them at additional risk. But it's also not an intention of the executive order under which those names are released."
Fox News Digital reached out to O'Connell's office for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
Larry Adams, an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Field Office Director, told local Fox affiliate in Nashville WZTV that ICE agents disagree that making their names public is not a risk, noting their faces can easily be matched to photos on social media.
"It has gotten more and more difficult," Adams said of his job under the new administration's aggressive deportation tactics, during a ride along with WZTV that occurred last week. "What affects me the most, is we understand the job we are doing, we understand what we sign up for, it's mostly the attacks or threats against our families."
After Tennessee Republican Congressman Rep. Andy Ogles requested the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) investigate the Nashville mayor over allegedly obstructing federal officials, the agency followed through and opened an investigation. Meanwhile, two congressional committees are also investigating him, including requesting documents related to O'Connell's Executive Order 30, which has required city departments to report federal immigration communications to the city of Nashville's Office of New Americans.
In an interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin remarked at the danger associated with doxing federal immigration officers, noting that the act effectively handed cartels intelligence "on a silver platter."
"These are the tip of the spear, these are the people on the front lines trying to make our communities safer," McLaughlin said. "So, when Democrats and the media show us who they are, we'll believe them, and it's the fact that they're fighting for people like MS-13 and child rapists to be on American streets."
According to local news outlet, the Tennessee Lookout, McLaughlin has also clapped back at O'Connell's claims that the release of immigration officials' names was a mistake.
"They claimed it was a mistake. There's zero chance it was a mistake, and there will be repercussions," she said, according to the outlet.
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