Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem slammed Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell in a Friday morning press conference in the southern city, accusing him of “risking people’s lives” after he doxxed ICE agents.
Noem showcased some of the criminal illegal aliens, including rapists and murders, captured in the Nashville area before warning that left-wing politicians have sided with illegal aliens and in some cases, even endangered federal law enforcement.
“One of the open border politicians is right here in this state and right here in this city, and I’m specifically calling out the mayor of Nashville,” Noem charged.
“Freddie O’Connell has gone after our ICE individuals and agents who work with HSI,” she said, referring to Homeland Security Investigations. “He’s openly doxxed them, revealed them to the public, and encouraged people to go against them and their efforts to clean up the streets of Nashville.”
“What the mayor is doing to this city is shameful. What he needs to do is participate with us and make sure that he is helping us enforce the rule of law,” Noem said of the Democrat mayor, also accusing him of playing politics and “risking people’s lives.”
Noem’s statements came after O’Connell doxxed the names of ICE agents involved in raids in Nashville, which The Daily Wire revealed resulted in the capture of 196 illegal aliens, 96 of whom had criminal histories or pending criminal charges beyond illegally entering the country.
The city’s mayor said that the doxxing was done by accident, but one DHS official charged that there was “zero chance it was a mistake.”
The DHS Secretary also told The Daily Wire that she blames the rhetoric of liberal politicians and leftist organizations for the rise in assaults against ICE officers.
“It’s the rhetoric of elected officials, of leaders, of leftist organizations and the media. When they don’t tell the truth, there’s consequences to that,” Noem said. “When they don’t talk about the facts of what’s happening out on our streets and what the American people need, then it gets distorted and the information is used in a way that can undermine what the rule of law is.”
A small group of leftist protesters gathered outside of the Homeland Security Investigations building where Noem held her press conference.
A meager crowd of leftist demonstrators showed up to protest DHS Sec. Noem’s Nashville press conference, where she showcased some of the murderers and rapists captured by ICE.
I’m here for @realDailyWire pic.twitter.com/y9Ncv809mI
— Spencer Lindquist 🇺🇸 (@SpencerLndqst) July 18, 2025
Noem also told The Daily Wire at a Thursday night press conference that it will refer those who dox ICE agents to the Department of Justice for prosecution.
“We will detain these individuals if the law allows and it’s up to the Department of Justice if they decide to prosecute … doxxing very much exposes them and their families up to dangerous situations,” Noem said. “We’ve had many of our ICE officers, CBP officers who’ve been victimized, their families have been threatened and attacked.”
“Any elected official, anybody who does this on purpose and causes harm or brings harm to them and their families … they will be referred to them and the Department of Justice has indicated that they will prosecute them where it is appropriate,” she went on to say.
