US President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will extend federal law enforcement action to Memphis, Tennessee, by deploying National Guard troops and forming a new “Memphis State Task Force” to address what he called “tremendous levels of violent crime.” The initiative, signed through an executive order, brings together the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and US Marshals Service to coordinate operations in the city. A timeline for the task force’s deployment has not been released. Read More
Trump described the task force as a “replica” of his earlier crackdown in Washington, DC, where the National Guard was deployed in August. He has also proposed similar federal interventions in Baltimore and Chicago, both Democratic-led cities. “The levels of crime in Memphis have overwhelmed its local government’s ability to respond effectively,” Trump said during the White House announcement.
Tennessee’s Republican Governor Bill Lee joined the president at the signing ceremony and endorsed the plan. “I have been in office for seven years. I’m tired of crime holding the great city of Memphis back,” Lee said.
But Memphis Mayor Paul Young distanced himself from the decision, emphasizing that the deployment was not made at his request. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Young wrote:
“Yesterday morning, we learned that the Governor & President have decided to place the National Guard & other resources in Memphis, which they have the authority to do. I want to be clear: I did not ask for the National Guard and I don’t think it is the way to drive down crime.”
The debate comes amid contrasting assessments of crime in Memphis. The city, globally renowned for its musical legacy in rock and roll, soul, and blues, reported the highest violent crime rate among US cities with populations of 100,000 or more in 2024. According to FBI data, Memphis recorded 2,501 incidents of violent crime per 100,000 residents, far ahead of Oakland, California (1,925), and Detroit, Michigan (1,781). Violent crime as defined by the FBI includes murder, negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
However, Memphis police highlight that these numbers don’t tell the whole story. They say the city has seen “historic crime reductions” in 2025, with overall crime reaching a 25-year low. According to police data, robbery, burglary, and larceny are at their lowest levels in 25 years, while murders have fallen to a six-year low, aggravated assaults to a five-year low, and sexual assaults to a 20-year low.
Still, violence remains a pressing concern. Memphis has reported 146 homicides and 4,308 cases of aggravated assault so far this year, underscoring the tension between statistical progress and ongoing public safety fears. Trump’s intervention now sets the stage for a clash between federal and local approaches to crime, with the president and governor insisting on a show of force while city leadership questions whether more troops on the ground are the answer.
