Blackburn Statement on Nashville ICE Arrests Making Tennessee Communities Safer
May 26, 2025
“For four years, the Biden administration unleashed chaos on communities across the United States, including right here in Tennessee, by inviting the largest flood of illegal immigration in our nation’s history. The consequences have been deadly. Last year, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico killed a Nashville restaurant owner in a hit-and-run after attempting to steal tools out of his truck. Two months before, an illegal alien was charged with sexual battery after he followed a woman into the bathroom of an ice cream shop in the Gulch and groped her. Now, under President Trump, ICE has been empowered to do their jobs – taking criminal illegal aliens off our streets. With the help of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, ICE has arrested illegal aliens in Nashville who have been convicted of unimaginable crimes, making our communities safer with every arrest. Meanwhile, Democrats in Nashville and across the country are demonizing law enforcement officers who are risking their lives to protect Tennesseans. Mayor Freddie O’Connell even said ICE’s detainment of violent gang members and rapists is ‘making [it] harder’ to keep people safe. He couldn’t be more out of touch. While Democrats like Mayor O’Connell continue to side with criminal illegal aliens instead of those they were elected to serve, Republicans are doing everything possible to uphold the rule of law and Make America Safe Again.”