logo
Republicans target Nashville's mayor for his response to immigration arrests

Republicans target Nashville's mayor for his response to immigration arrests

Toronto Star03-06-2025
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Congressional Republicans are investigating Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell's response to federal immigration arrests during hundreds of traffic stops over several days in May.
Rep. Andy Ogles is leading the charge, pitting the Republican who represents part of the Democratic-leaning city against a progressive mayor who has criticized immigration officials after they arrested nearly 200 people in the greater Nashville area.
The dayslong presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents sent chills through well-known Nashville immigrant neighborhoods. Many Republicans, meanwhile, applauded ICE's enforcement focus in the city.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Republicans have criticized Nashville officials for publicly documenting interactions between local authorities and federal immigration agents on an official city government website. Some of the entries included authorities' names before city officials removed them. They have also blasted O'Connell for promoting a fundraiser for families affected by the ICE activity.
O'Connell has said the arrests caused long-lasting trauma for families and were led by people who don't share Nashville's values of safety and community.
Here is a look at the ICE activity and its fallout.
The arrests
ICE has said that it arrested 196 people alongside the Tennessee Highway Patrol during a weeklong effort in and around Nashville. ICE said 95 had criminal convictions, were facing criminal charges or both, but didn't provide a more detailed breakdown, including the type of crimes. It said about 30 had entered the country after previously being deported, some of whom are included in the 95.
The Highway Patrol said it made more than 580 traffic stops in the joint operation with ICE. ICE highlighted seven cases, including two gang members, one of whom was wanted in an El Salvador killing, and people with convictions such as drug offenses, rape or assault.
Lisa Sherman Luna of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition criticized the effort as 'at a scale we've never seen before.' She said officers were arresting some people who were going home to their children or heading to work.
The mayor's response
Early into ICE's operation in Nashville, the mayor held a news conference to assure that Nashville's police force was not involved in the immigration crackdown.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
He said the immigration enforcement approach 'is not our understanding of what a Nashville for all of us looks like.'
At the news conference, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee also announced the fundraising effort to provide child care, transportation, housing aid, food and more for families impacted by the ICE activity.
O'Connell's administration has sent letters asking Tennessee Highway Patrol and ICE to identify those arrested and their charges. He told the Nashville Rotary Club this week he still hasn't received that information.
O'Connell is facing particular scrutiny because of a policy requiring city agencies to report communications with federal immigration authorities to the mayor's office. Nashville has had similar orders under two prior mayors, and O'Connell added quicker reporting deadlines last month. He said the goal is transparency.
Republicans' investigation into O'Connell
Congressman Ogles declared that House committees would be investigating O'Connell during a Memorial Day news conference at Tennessee's Capitol in Nashville — a venue that raised eyebrows because it's closed to the public on the holiday. Noise from protesters carried from outside the building.
A subsequent letter signed by Ogles and three other House committee and subcommittee chairmen requests documents and communications about O'Connell's executive order and the ICE enforcement efforts. Ogles and others have also cried foul that the names of some immigration officials in the Nashville operation were made public. The agents' names were removed, with O'Connell saying it wasn't the intent of the executive order to release them.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
O'Connell has said Nashville isn't trying to obstruct federal or state laws, and has no reason to be concerned about the congressional investigation.
Ogles first won his seat in 2022 after Republicans redistricted Nashville to flip a Democratic congressional district.
Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News last week that agents will 'flood the zone' in Nashville due to O'Connell's response.
Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn is requesting that the U.S. Department of Justice investigate O'Connell.
Last week, the Trump administration listed Nashville among its so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, before the list was removed. O'Connell said he's 'puzzled' by the city's inclusion and that Nashville, by definition, is not a sanctuary city.
Laws toughened over so-called sanctuary policies
In 2019, sanctuary cities became illegal in Tennessee, threatening noncomplying governments with the loss of state economic development money. Tennessee economic development officials say they aren't aware of any warnings, denials or withholding of state money under that law to date.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Early this year, lawmakers and Republican Gov. Bill Lee approved legislation to aid the Trump administration with immigration enforcement. It features a potential Class E felony against any local elected official voting for or adopting a so-called sanctuary policy. This could include voting in favor of local government restrictions that impede ICE efforts to detain migrants in the U.S. without permission.
Critics believe the criminal penalty — effective July 1 — could be unconstitutional due to state and federal protections afforded lawmakers at various levels of government.
The law also created a new state immigration division, but shielded its records from public disclosure.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Vice President JD Vance is on the road again to sell the Republicans' big new tax law
Vice President JD Vance is on the road again to sell the Republicans' big new tax law

Winnipeg Free Press

timean hour ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Vice President JD Vance is on the road again to sell the Republicans' big new tax law

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Vice President JD Vance is hitting his home state on Monday to continue promoting the GOP's sweeping tax-and-border bill. He will be in Canton, Ohio, to talk about the bill's 'benefits for hardworking American families and businesses,' according to his office. Aides offered little detail in advance about the visit, but NBC News reported that his remarks will take place at a steel plant in Canton, located about 60 miles south of Cleveland. The visit marks Vance's second trip this month to sell the package, filled with a hodgepodge of conservative priorities that Republicans have dubbed the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' as the vice president becomes its chief promoter on the road. In West Pittston, Pennsylvania, Vance told attendees at an industrial machine shop that they should be able to keep more of their pay in their pockets, highlighting the law's new tax deductions on overtime. Vance also discussed a new children's savings program called Trump Accounts and how the new law promotes energy extraction, while decrying Democrats for opposing the bill that keeps the current tax rates, which would have otherwise expired later this year. The legislation cleared the GOP-controlled Congress by the narrowest of margins, with Vance breaking a tie vote in the Senate for the package that also sets aside hundreds of billions of dollars for Trump's immigration agenda while slashing Medicaid and food stamps. The vice president is also stepping up his public relations blitz on the bill as the White House tries to deflect attention away from the growing controversy over Jeffrey Epstein. The disgraced financier killed himself, authorities say, in a New York jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. Trump and his top allies stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein's death before Trump returned to the White House and are now reckoning with the consequences of a Justice Department announcement earlier this month that Epstein did indeed die by suicide and that no further documents about the case would be released. Questions about the case continued to dog Trump in Scotland, where he on Sunday announced a framework trade deal with the European Union. Asked about the timing of the trade announcement and the Epstein case and whether it was correlated, Trump responded: 'You got to be kidding with that.' 'No, had nothing to do with it,' Trump told the reporter. 'Only you would think that.' The White House sees the new law as a clear political boon, sending Vance to promote it in swing congressional districts that will determine whether Republicans retain their House majority next year. The northeastern Pennsylvania stop is in the district represented by Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, a first-term lawmaker who knocked off a six-time Democratic incumbent last fall. On Monday, Vance will be in the district of Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes, who is a top target for the National Republican Congressional Committee this cycle. Polls before the bill's passage showed that it largely remained unpopular, although the public approves of some individual provisions such as increasing the child tax credit and allowing workers to deduct more of their tips on taxes.

Paramount merger wins OK after lawsuit tied to Trump settles
Paramount merger wins OK after lawsuit tied to Trump settles

Canada News.Net

time3 hours ago

  • Canada News.Net

Paramount merger wins OK after lawsuit tied to Trump settles

NEW YORK CITY, New York: A new era in Hollywood is taking shape. U.S. regulators have approved the US$8.4 billion merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media, paving the way for tech heir David Ellison to take control of some of the most iconic names in entertainment, including CBS, Paramount Pictures, and Nickelodeon. However, the deal, approved this week after a partisan 2-1 vote by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has been shadowed by political controversy and questions over media independence in an election year. Paramount recently paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump over CBS News' editing of a "60 Minutes" interview with his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris. This raised concerns that the settlement was made to smooth the merger's path. FCC Democrat Anna Gomez, the lone dissenter, condemned the move as "cowardly capitulation" and criticized the agency for imposing "never-before-seen controls over newsroom decisions." Chairman Brendan Carr, a Republican and Trump appointee, said the settlement had no bearing on the FCC's decision and emphasized that Skydance provided assurances of a commitment to unbiased journalism. Those assurances include the appointment of an ombudsman to review complaints about editorial bias and a pledge not to implement any diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, an issue Trump has called discriminatory. Carr praised the pledges, saying they would allow CBS to "operate in the public interest" and called it "another step forward" in eliminating DEI-based policies. Some lawmakers remain unconvinced. Senators Edward Markey and Ben Ray Luján said the timing of the lawsuit settlement and merger approval "reeks of the worst form of corruption." Comedian and CBS host Stephen Colbert had called the settlement "a big fat bribe" on air. His show was canceled days later. Paramount claimed the decision was financial. The merger ends the Redstone family's decades-long hold on Paramount. Shari Redstone, who took over as chair in 2019, had hoped to strengthen the company against streaming giants. But Paramount's market value has plunged in recent years, accelerating the push for a sale. David Ellison, son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison, will become chair and CEO of the new entity. Jeff Shell, former NBCUniversal chief, will serve as president. Chris McCarthy, one of Paramount's current co-CEOs, will exit after the deal closes. The FCC's review lasted over 250 days—far longer than its 180-day target.

Trump begins EU trade discussions at golf resort meeting in Scotland
Trump begins EU trade discussions at golf resort meeting in Scotland

Global News

time12 hours ago

  • Global News

Trump begins EU trade discussions at golf resort meeting in Scotland

President Donald Trump headed into high-stakes talks Sunday with a top European official demanding fairer trade with the 27-member European Union and threatening steep tariffs to achieve that while insisting the United States will not go below 15 per cent import taxes. Make-or-break talks could head off punishing U.S. tariffs and promised retaliation from Europe that could send shock waves through economies around the globe. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, seated next to Trump at his golf resort on the Scottish coast, called for a rebalancing of bilateral trade worth billions of dollars between the vital partners. Speaking to reporters before their private meeting, she and Trump put the chances of reaching an agreement at 50-50 as Friday's White House deadline neared. 'This is bigger than any other deal,' Trump said. He suggested they could cut a deal in just a short time. Story continues below advertisement Trump called von der Leyen 'highly respected' and meeting with her at his Turnberry golf course, where he played in the morning, was an honor. 'The main sticking point,' the Republican president said, was 'fairness.' View image in full screen President Donald Trump meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin). For months, Trump has threatened most of the world with large tariffs in hopes of shrinking major U.S. trade deficits with many key trading partners, including the EU. Trump has hinted that any deal with the EU would have to 'buy down' the currently scheduled tariff rate of 30 per cent. During the remarks before the media Sunday, he pointed to a recent U.S. agreement with Japan that set tariff rates for many goods at 15 per cent and suggested the EU could agree to something similar. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Asked if he would be willing to accept tariff rates lower than that, Trump said 'no.' Story continues below advertisement Their meeting came after Trump played golfed for the second straight day at his Turnberry course on the southwest coast of Scotland, this time with a group that included sons Eric and Donald Jr. The president's five-day visit to Scotland is built around golf and promoting properties bearing his name. View image in full screen US President Donald Trump plays golf at his Trump Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire, during his five-day private trip to the country. Picture date: Sunday July 27, 2025. (PA Photo: Jane Barlow/PA Wire). A small group of demonstrators at the course waved American flags and raised a sign criticizing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who plans his own Turnberry meeting with Trump on Monday. Other voices could be heard cheering and chanting 'Trump! Trump!' as he played nearby. On Tuesday, Trump will be in Aberdeen, in northeastern Scotland, where his family has another golf course and is opening a third next month. The president and his sons plan to help cut the ribbon on the new course. Joining von der Leyen were Maros Sefcovic, the EU's chief trade negotiator; Björn Seibert, the head of von der Leyen's Cabinet; Sabine Weyand, the commission's directorate-general for trade, and Tomas Baert, head of the trade and agriculture at the EU's delegation to the U.S. Story continues below advertisement 1:06 Trump visits Scotland to open new golf resort, sparking mixed local response The U.S. and EU seemed close to a deal earlier this month, but Trump instead threatened the 30 per cent tariff rate. The deadline for the Trump administration to begin imposing tariffs has shifted in recent weeks but is now firm, the administration insists. 'No extensions, no more grace periods. Aug. 1, the tariffs are set, they'll go into place, Customs will start collecting the money and off we go,' U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told 'Fox News Sunday.' He added, however, that even after that 'people can still talk to President Trump. I mean, he's always willing to listen.' Lutnick said the EU 'needs to make a deal and wants to make a deal and they are flying to Scotland to make a deal with President Trump. The question is do they offer President Trump a good enough deal that is worth it for him to step off of the 30 per cent tariffs that he set.' Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen President Donald Trump meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin). Without an agreement, the EU says it is prepared to retaliate with tariffs on hundreds of American products, ranging from beef and auto parts to beer and Boeing airplanes. If Trump eventually makes good on his threat of tariffs against Europe, it could make everything from French cheese and Italian leather goods to German electronics and Spanish pharmaceuticals more expensive in the United States. The U.S. and Britain, meanwhile, announced a trade framework in May and a larger agreement last month during the Group of Seven meeting in Canada. Trump says that deal is concluded and that he and Starmer will discuss other matters, though the White House has suggested it still needs some polishing.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store