Trump Deploys Nat'l Guard to Memphis   09/16 06:14

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump signed an order Monday sending the 
National Guard into Memphis to combat crime, offering another major test of the 
limits of presidential power by using military force in American cities.

   With Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee visiting the Oval Office, Trump said 
troops would be deployed and join a special task force in the city comprised of 
officials from various federal agencies, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement 
Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshal's 
service.

   He said the goal would be to stamp out crime in a way that he says sending 
in the National Guard and federalizing the local police force has in 
Washington, D.C.

   "This task force will be a replica of our extraordinarily successful efforts 
here," Trump said of the District of Columbia. "And, you'll see it's a lot of 
the same thing."

   The presidential memorandum Trump signed did not include details on when 
troops would be deployed or exactly what his promised surge in law enforcement 
efforts would look like.

   "Planning is currently underway, and we will continue to work closely with 
federal and local partners to determine the most effective path forward," said 
Lee's spokesperson, Elizabeth Lane Johnson.

   The memorandum also specified 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.

   Trump said the FBI had already stepped up its recent activities in Memphis, 
which is majority Black and Tennessee's second-largest city, and had helped 
reduce crime, but, "We're sending in the big force now."

   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, police said.

   Still, Memphis has dealt with stubborn gun violence problems for years. In 
2023, the city set a record with more than 390 homicides.

   Tennessee's governor embraced the troop deployment as part of a broader law 
enforcement surge in Memphis, with Lee saying Monday that he was "tired of 
crime holding the great city of Memphis back." The state's Republican senators, 
Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, joined in the Oval Office as well.

   Trump's action followed his first announcing that he'd soon be deploying the 
National Guard to Memphis on Friday -- drawing immediate pushback from its 
Democratic leader.

   "I did not ask for the National Guard, and I don't think it's the way to 
drive down crime," Memphis Mayor Paul Young told a news conference Friday while 
acknowledging the city remained high on too many "bad lists."

   Young has also said that now the decision is made, he wants to ensure he can 
help influence the Guard's role. He mentioned possibilities such as traffic 
control for big events, monitoring cameras for police and undertaking 
beautification projects.

   At a news conference Monday, some local Democrats urged officials to 
consider options to oppose the deployment. Tami Sawyer, Shelby County General 
Sessions Court Clerk, said the city or county could sue.

   Speculation had centered on Chicago as Trump's next city to send in the 
National Guard and other federal authorities. But the administration has faced 
fierce resistance from Democratic Illinois J.B. Pritzker and other local 
authorities.

   Trump nonetheless insisted Monday, "We're going to be doing Chicago probably 
next" while also suggesting that authorities would wait and not act immediately 
there.

   Speaking about a skyscraper bearing his name in the nation's third largest 
city, Trump said he "knew all about" Chicago and had "a great beautiful 
building. I'm so proud of it."

   "But you get less proud when you see all the crime," he added.

   Pressed on if he might send troops into Chicago without support from state 
and local authorities, the president insisted, "It's not going to matter to us 
at all."

   "We hope we have the governor's help," he said. "But, if we don't we're 
doing it without him."

   Trump has also previously said he'd be willing to send troop to New Orleans 
-- another Democrat-leaning city in a Republican-run state. He mentioned New 
Orleans again on Monday, but also singled out Baltimore and even St. Louis as 
locales that could be in line for troop deployments eventually -- though he 
provided no details.

   "We want to save these places," Trump said.