Trump Sending National Guard, Task Force to Memphis to Combat Crime

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump invited Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to the Oval Office to announce the deployment of National Guard members and a specialized task force to Memphis to address high crime rates.

Trump said his administration will take care of crime in Memphis and other cities “step by step, just like we did in D.C.,” referencing the law enforcement surge he enacted in the nation’s capital over the past month.

The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Department of Homeland Security, among others, will work with local authorities in Memphis to counter violent crime.

Founded by Andrew Jackson in 1819 and known as the “Birthplace of Rock and Roll,” Memphis was once known as a safe, family-friendly city. Crime has grown in recent years, and the region ranks among the highest in the nation for murder and violent criminal acts.

“A person is 10 times more likely to be murdered in Memphis, Tennessee, today than in Mexico City,” Trump said. “It’s been overrun with carjackings, robberies, shootings, and killings.”

The state’s governor expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work with federal law enforcement partners.

“I’m tired of crime holding the great city of Memphis back,” Lee said.

“This will be one more step in the right direction for Memphis.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi will oversee the joint operation.

“We’re going to do everything we can to make Memphis safe again,” she said in the Oval Office on Sept. 15.

Chicago is also on Trump’s radar, and similar operations could be in store for the Windy City soon, according to the president.

“We’ve got to go save our big cities,” Trump said, highlighting New Orleans and St. Louis as other possible points of action.

One administration official pointed to the impact of the crackdown in the nation’s capital as evidence that enforcing laws protects communities.

“President Trump’s initiative here in Washington D.C., it’s important to understand, is the most successful anti-crime initiative in American history,” Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, said on Sept. 15.

“So whether you’re Antifa, whether you’re a domestic terrorist, whether you are a violent gang member, a drug trafficker, a Tren de Aragua killer, or anyone else that’s threatening our people, President Trump is saying he’s going to … wipe you out, to put you behind bars, to take you off the street, or to apply whatever legal consequences necessary.”

The presidential memorandum Trump signed mobilizing the National Guard did not include details on when troops would be deployed or exactly what his promised surge in law enforcement efforts would look like. But it did specify that some out-of-state help might be available, including state police in Memphis-bordering Mississippi and Arkansas and National Guard members from other states as necessary.

Shortly before Trump’s announcement, the White House posted on social media that the Memphis total crime rate was higher than the national average and suggested that the rate had increased since last year, bucking national trends.

That’s despite Memphis police recently reporting decreases across every major crime category in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in previous years. Overall crime hit a 25-year low, while murder hit a six-year low, according to police.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.