Ogles provided an update on the Nashville probe to senior Trump administration law enforcement officials on Thursday, warning that a controversial fund aiding illegal immigrants is allegedly being promoted using taxpayer-supported city resources — despite claims to the contrary from Nashville officials.
“The Belonging Fund, although described as privately funded, has been promoted through official city platforms and appears to leverage city infrastructure,” Ogles wrote in his update to Trump officials. “Its stated purpose — to provide legal aid, housing, transportation, and other support to individuals arrested or targeted by ICE — raises serious concerns.”
Ogles further questioned whether federal resources might have been used — directly or indirectly — in violation of the Anti-Deficiency Act or existing federal grant restrictions. He also asked whether any public resources were used “to harbor or conceal individuals from lawful detention.”
The Belonging Fund’s website maintains that its activities are supported solely through private donations: “Donations to the fund are made possible solely by individual donors and private organizations — no government dollars are included. That means no taxpayer dollars are being used in the administration or distribution of this fund.”
Still, Ogles insisted that the House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees — both of which are coordinating the investigation — will continue to scrutinize the fund’s connection to public infrastructure and messaging.
The Tennessee inquiry comes amid heightened national tensions over immigration enforcement. ICE, working in conjunction with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, recently arrested nearly 200 individuals that DHS described as illegal immigrants — many of whom allegedly had criminal backgrounds or gang ties.
In the wake of those arrests, DHS publicly criticized Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, citing remarks he made in early May. “What’s clear today is that people who do not share our values of safety and community have the authority to cause deep community harm,” O’Connell said at the time.
O’Connell has since signed an executive order directing the city to track interactions between residents and federal immigration authorities — a move designed to increase transparency but viewed by critics as an act of resistance against lawful enforcement actions.
“It’s important for us to get this right, and it’s very frustrating to see a failure in the process,” O’Connell said of ICE’s operations in the city.
Ogles denounced O’Connell’s approach, arguing it reflects a “deeply troubling pattern of resistance to lawful immigration enforcement.” He also emphasized that the scope of the House investigation is expanding beyond Nashville.
“In particular, we are closely reviewing recent events in Los Angeles, California, where violent protests allegedly in opposition to immigration enforcement have erupted,” Ogles told Trump administration officials.
The protests in Los Angeles have intensified following recent ICE raids, with demonstrators erecting barricades, starting fires, and engaging in confrontations with law enforcement officers. Images from the ground have shown protesters facing off against Border Patrol personnel in full riot gear and gas masks outside facilities in Paramount, California.
In response to the escalating unrest, President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard to deploy to Los Angeles — a move fiercely opposed by local Democratic leaders but supported by Trump allies, who argue it was necessary to restore order.
Democrats have condemned the deployment as an abuse of executive power and an unnecessary provocation, while Republicans maintain it was a justified response to uncontrolled riots.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., is also playing a leading role in the ongoing congressional probe. Both Green and Ogles have indicated that additional inquiries into the role of city governments — particularly regarding whether public funds or infrastructure have been used to assist individuals in evading immigration enforcement — are forthcoming.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice said it could not confirm whether it had officially received Ogles’ letter. Fox News Digital also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the White House for comment, as well as the offices of the Nashville and Los Angeles mayors.
As the House GOP’s investigation broadens and national debate over immigration enforcement intensifies, the scrutiny now facing Los Angeles and Nashville is likely to remain a flashpoint in the broader political battle over federal immigration policy — one that could shape the contours of the 2025 political landscape.