Image Credit: @MarshaBlackburn / X, @CSexton25 / X, @RepOgles / X & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
On June 4, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn introduced the Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act which would make it illegal to dox federal law enforcement officials.
A press release confirms the legislation is in response to Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s doxxing of several Homeland Security agents last week.
The three-page bill seeks to criminalize the publishing of names of federal law enforcement officers with “the intent to obstruct a criminal investigation or immigration operation.” Should an individual be found guilty of doxxing under the legislation, the penalty would include a fine and/or imprisonment of five years.
She stated, “Blue city mayors are doing everything they can to obstruct the Trump administration’s efforts to deport criminal illegal aliens,” and believes this legislation will, “hold blue city mayors accountable for obstructing enforcement of our immigration laws by putting law enforcement officers in harm’s way.”
Blackburn also has a request into the U.S. Attorney General’s office for an investigation into O’Connell’s actions and further announced sponsorship of another piece of legislation called the Rapid Expulsion of Migrant Offenders who Violate and Evade (REMOVE) Act which will help expedite deportations of illegal aliens by requiring them to begin removal proceedings within 15 days of being served with a Notice to Appear. It will, in essence, allow the DOJ to fast-track removals for those who have removal orders.
In the U.S. House, Representative Andy Ogles is spearheading a Congressional investigation into O’Connell’s actions while simultaneously seeking to hold any other elected officials obstructing immigration enforcement efforts equally accountable.
On Wednesday, June 4, Ogles announced his office had obtained evidence of Nashville City Council Member Antoinette Lee coaching illegal aliens on how to interact with ICE and encouraging people to report agents and law enforcement officers to an anti-ICE organization, The ReMIX.
The ReMIX has a “migrawatch” Facebook page which spies on and reports the activities of ICE, Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), and other law enforcement agencies.
According to Ogles, “The group records agents’ faces and publicly shares their locations online.”
Should Senator Blackburn’s bill become law, these activities would become federally illegal and carry consequences for putting law enforcement officers at risk.
His X post also contains images of a flyer with instructions for law enforcement interactions written in Spanish, English, and a third language which appears to be Arabic or a variant thereof.
He also presents a screenshot of the organization’s fundraising campaign, which currently shows almost $48,000 in contributions to “organize and fight back” by supplying families “directly affected by the May 4th ICE operations” with “support for food, bills, and other timely costs.”
Ogles reminds readers the nearly 200 individuals apprehended by ICE were, “charged with serious crimes, including rape, murder, and gang related offenses. A Nashville elected official is openly endorsing the obstruction of federal law enforcement.” He calls for accountability by tagging ICE in the post and calling the behavior “unacceptable and potentially criminal.”
At the state level, Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton posted to X condemning O’Connell’s doxxing of law enforcement calling it, “reckless, irresponsible, & against the law” and “asking” the Metro government to explain themselves.
He reiterates that creating sanctuary cities or harboring illegal aliens puts the city at risk of losing “state-shared” tax dollars but makes no mention of following through on this statement other than tagging the TN Attorney General, DHS, and Congressman Mark Green in the post.
His other post on the subject calls for O’Connell to rescind Executive Order (EO) 30, which requires all Metro employees to report any communications or interactions with ICE or any other immigration agencies to his office.
Sexton writes that the EO is a “big brother” action and stated it has “jeopardized the safety of federal and state agents to the extent that individuals are being harassed and interfering in the lawful duty of these agents.”
Much of Republican leadership in the state, including Governor Bill Lee, has remained relatively silent overall on the ICE/THP operations and subsequent investigations, and Sexton has not indicated taking any concrete steps to enforce his requests for information or consequences for O’Connell’s potential obstructions, despite Sexton’s claims they could be blatantly violating state laws banning sanctuary city policies.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Guess snake Sexton may be good for something.