Sen. Marsha Blackburn unveils bill to shield law enforcement from doxxing a
By Ryan King
Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn rolled out legislation Wednesday to make the doxxing of law enforcement officials illegal after multiple Democrats — including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — have pushed to identify Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carrying out the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts.
Under the Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act, those who release the name of an officer “with the intent to obstruct a criminal investigation or immigration enforcement operation” could face up to five years behind bars and a fine.
“Blue city mayors are doing everything they can to obstruct the Trump administration’s efforts to deport criminal illegal aliens,” Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said in a statement.
Her new bill is a direct response to Democratic Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell after it emerged that his office had been keeping track of engagement between ICE authorities and local officials. O’Connell has framed the effort as a transparency push.
O’Connell’s team publicly released details of those interactions, including names of feds on a city website, before local officials removed some of the names.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn speaking to reporters.
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Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn denounced Democrats’ efforts to release the identities of ICE agents.
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The mayor’s actions came against the backdrop of a massive ICE operation last month in partnership with the Tennessee Highway Patrol in which nearly 200 people were detained.
Of those detained, at least 95 have previous criminal convictions and 31 had reentered the US illegally, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
O’Connell had been a fierce critic of the operation — and even amplified a fundraiser for the families of people who had been swept up by the ICE operations.
“Just last week, Nashville Mayor O’Connell and his office doxxed federal law enforcement officers after the Trump administration worked with Tennessee Highway Patrol to arrest a criminal illegal alien,” Blackburn said.
Mayor Freddie O'Connell speaking at a podium.
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Nashville Democratic Mayor Freddie O’Connell has been critical of the immigration enforcement operations in his city.
AP
“My Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act would make this illegal and hold blue city mayors accountable for obstructing enforcement of our immigration laws by putting law enforcement officers in harm’s way.”
The Nashville mayor is not the only one seeking to name ICE agents.
On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) vowed to fight to name ICE agents engaged in wrongful conduct, amid gripes about them wearing masks.
“Every single ICE agent who’s engaged in this aggressive overreach and are trying to hide their identities from the American people will be unsuccessful in doing that,” Jeffries declared Tuesday. “This is America. This is not the Soviet Union.
“And every single one of them, no matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes, will be identified.”
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries speaking at a rally opposing a Republican tax proposal.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries believes ICE officers engaged in overly aggressive behavior should be named.
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Blackburn’s stipulates that the release of law enforcement names must be done “with the intent to obstruct” an investigation in order to be considered a criminal offense.
Jeffries’ remarks come days after Democrats fumed over the temporary detention of a Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) aide by DHS agents last week.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has said that ICE agents have been wearing masks to protect themselves as they find themselves apprehending suspects gangbangers from brutal groups like MS-13 or Tren de Aragua and other potentially violent criminals.
Officers have faced a 413% spike in assaults, per the DHS.
Blackburn is currently mulling a run for Tennessee governor in 2026. Two of her Senate colleagues, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Michael Bennett (D-Colo.) have announced gubernatorial runs in their respective states.
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