NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday he’ll send the National Guard to address crime concerns in Memphis, Tennessee, his latest test of the limits of presidential power by using military force in American cities.
Young committed to trying to help the deployment strengthen the community without distracting from ongoing law enforcement efforts.
However, even without National Guard troops, residents in Chicago are expecting more federal immigration enforcement.
Trump’s broader National Guard strategy Trump first deployed troops to Los Angeles in early June over Democratic Gov.
In Washington, D.C., where the president directly commands the guard, Trump has used troops for everything from armed patrols to trash cleanup without any legal issues.
Tennessee, Nashville. (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Friday that he will deploy the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee, to address crime concerns. This is his latest attempt to use military force in American cities.
Regarding the impending deployment, Trump stated on Fox News that “the governor is happy” and “the mayor is happy.”. He described the city as “deeply troubled” and stated that “we’re going to fix that just like we did Washington,” where he has increased federal law enforcement and dispatched the National Guard.
The Republican governor of Tennessee welcomed the troop deployment as part of a larger law enforcement push in Memphis, but the Democratic leader of Memphis, which is predominately Black, reacted negatively to Trump’s claim.
While admitting the city was still on too many “bad lists,” Mayor Paul Young stated at a news conference on Friday, “I did not ask for the National Guard and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime.”. “”.
Although they welcome federal assistance, a number of Memphis leaders stated that they do not believe the military should be involved. Without interfering with ongoing law enforcement efforts, Young pledged to try to assist the deployment in enhancing the community. He mentioned the need for jobs, housing, mental health services, and rehabilitation as the “root source of violent crime” that federal officials should target.
Gov. Bill Lee stated that he would discuss the specifics of the mission with the president on Friday. Along with the FBI, state highway patrol, local police, and other law enforcement organizations, he said he is still figuring out the National Guard’s optimal role.
Lee issued a statement saying, “I appreciate the President’s steadfast support and dedication to providing all the resources required to serve Memphians.”. “We won’t allow anything to stop Memphis from continuing on its path to greatness.”. “”.
Democratic governors in states like California and Illinois contend that similar deployments erode local authority and exacerbate tensions, which contrasts sharply with the governor’s approval of the National Guard. Additionally, the president has hinted at the possibility of sending troops to New Orleans, another predominantly Black city under Democratic leadership in a Republican-leaning state.
Troops are on the way, but crime is down.
Since the National Guard was sent to Washington and Los Angeles, DdotC. Even though statistics indicate that violent crime has decreased recently in both Chicago and Portland, Oregon, two of the country’s most Democratic cities, Trump has publicly discussed sending troops to these areas.
Earlier this week, Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena, who frequently visited Memphis while serving on the FedEx board, urged Trump to address the city’s crime problem, which is why he said Friday he decided to send troops there.
Days before the president’s announcement, Memphis police reported that, in comparison to the same period in prior years, there had been declines in all major crime categories during the first eight months of 2025. According to police, murder reached a six-year low and overall crime hit a 25-year low.
Memphis’s high-profile murders and gun violence.
Memphis has struggled for years with recalcitrant gun violence issues, despite the general decline. With over 390 killings in 2023, the city set a record.
A number of high-profile murders have also occurred in Memphis in recent years. In November 2021, Young Dolph, a rapper and owner of an independent record label, was shot and killed at a cookie shop.
The body of Eliza Fletcher, a schoolteacher who was abducted while out for an early morning run in September 2022, was discovered close to an abandoned duplex. A citywide shelter-in-place order was imposed after a man drove through the city and began a daylong shooting spree. Three individuals were slain and three others injured.
The Memphis Police Department’s crime reporting should be audited by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, according to some Republicans.
Tennessee officials seem split.
Republican state Sen. Supporter of the Memphis troop deployment, Brent Taylor, stated on Friday that the National Guard could give law enforcement “administrative and logistical support” so that local officers could concentrate on their work. The two Republican U.S. S. . The intervention is supported by senators.
In Memphis, the FBI is currently working with state and local law enforcement to support an ongoing operation that “has already arrested hundreds of the most violent offenders,” the governor said on Friday, adding momentum to the deployment. “”.
“People with actual training in civilian law enforcement, unlike military troops,” said Steve Mulroy, the district attorney for Shelby County, which includes Memphis, and he hoped the governor would convey to Trump that sending more FBI and other federal law enforcement agents would be a better course of action. “”.
Mulroy, a Democrat, warned Friday that these high-profile, brief military deployments run the risk of appearing performative and having no long-term effects.
specifics of the law.
The White House did not respond on Friday when asked if state and local officials had formally approved or requested a National Guard deployment on Friday. Additionally, unlike when troops were sent to Washington, it did not specify whether federal law enforcement would be bolstered in conjunction with a guard deployment or provide a potential timeline.
At a press conference on Friday, Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project, stated that she was unable to comment directly on the legality of sending National Guard troops to Memphis because she was unsure of whether the troops would be sent under federal or state jurisdiction and what the legal basis would be.
“There is just no legitimate emergency that warrants calling in troops to carry out any type of policing function,” she stated.
“It can chill the exercise of our First Amendment rights and leaves our Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights — searches, seizures, due process safeguards — in the hands of people who are not trained to uphold them,” she said, referring to the use of soldiers in civil law enforcement. “”.
As Trump shifts his focus south, the governor of Illinois celebrates.
Trump claimed on Friday that he “would have preferred going to Chicago,” where local politicians have vehemently opposed his plans, but that the city was too “hostile” with “professional agitators.”. “”.
Governor of Illinois. “It’s troubling that the president is hellbent on sending troops onto America’s streets,” social media user JB Pritzker, a prospective 2028 presidential candidate, quickly wrote in his congratulations. It is offensive when people in uniform are used as political props. This is not typical at all. “.”.
U. S. . This week, Attorney General Pam Bondi charged that the state’s leaders were not cooperating. But even without National Guard troops, Chicagoans anticipate increased federal immigration enforcement.
The larger National Guard strategy of Trump.
Early in June, Trump sent troops to Los Angeles in opposition to Democratic Gov. In response to protests over immigration raids, Gavin Newsom placed the California National Guard under federal jurisdiction (known as Title 10) to guard federal property. Later on, the guard assisted in keeping officers safe while making immigration arrests.
700 active duty Marines were sent in addition to the 4,000 guard members. Regarding the intervention, California filed a lawsuit.
D.C. in Washington. Trump has employed troops for everything from armed patrols to trash cleanup without running afoul of the law in this system, where the president has direct command over the guard.
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