OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
12:40 PM – Tuesday, September 16, 2025
President Donald Trump launched the “Memphis Safe Task Force” at the start of the week, aiming to replicate the federal law enforcement crackdown recently seen in Washington, D.C.
In 2024, Memphis had the highest violent crime rate among U.S. cities with populations over 250,000, recording 2,501 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. Additionally, Memphis had the highest property crime rate in the nation, with 73.27 property crimes per 1,000 residents — encompassing burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft.
President Trump, standing beside Tennessee government leaders and GOP administration officials, took the opportunity during his announcement to outline in detail all of the benefits and positive impacts of a federal crime crackdown — emphasizing how it will enhance public safety, support local law enforcement efforts, reduce crime and strengthen communities.
“This task force will be a replica of our extraordinary successful efforts here [D.C.] and you’ll see it’s a lot of the same thing,” Trump said referencing D.C., flanked in the Oval Office by Governor Bill Lee (R-Tenn.) and GOP Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty.
The president also noted that the task force was formed at Lee’s request.
Federal law enforcement agencies deploying to Memphis will include the National Guard, FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (AFT), Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Marshals.
“I’m tired of crime holding the great city of Memphis back,” Lee stated, explaining that he consulted with the directors of the U.S. Marshals Service and FBI, as well as Attorney General Pam Bondi, about the multiagency crackdown.
“When we come together, we can make significant change in our city and the city of Memphis … and I want to say thank you,” the governor added.
Trump later indicated that Chicago will be “probably next,” revealing that he has been considering sending federal law enforcement to the Illinois city for weeks now.
“We were going to hold it off, we were going to do some of the smaller ones, [but] the truth is, our people are so good … I don’t think we need too much practice. But we’ve got to go and save our big cities, our great cities,” Trump said, speaking on Chicago.
The GOP president’s plan for Memphis has drawn major support from the state’s governor and senators. However, earlier on Monday, Memphis Democrat Mayor Paul Young disputed Trump’s claim that he is “happy” about the deployment of the National Guard to the city. In response to the intervention, Mayor Young indicated that Tennessee Democrats are considering legal action to challenge the deployment.
Although Trump has long expressed interest in taking federal control in Chicago, Governor JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) has also consistently pushed back against the idea.
In July, Trump briefly took control of the D.C. police under a provision of the Home Rule Act, which allows the president to assume authority for up to 30 days in emergencies. That takeover expired last week.
Then, on Monday, Trump warned that he could declare a national emergency after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said that local police would no longer be cooperating with ICE following the expiration of the federal takeover.
Trump announced “To the people and businesses of Washington, D.C., DON’T WORRY, I AM WITH YOU, AND WON’T ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN,” adding, “I’ll call a National Emergency, and Federalize, if necessary!!!”
While Memphis has achieved certain reductions in crime rates this year, it still remains one of the most crime-affected cities in the country. The deployment will bolster local efforts and restore public safety through increased coordination and resource sharing among various law enforcement agencies, according to the governor’s office.
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