Memphis — Memphis — Federal authorities are escalating arrests in Tennessee’s second-most populous city as President Donald Trump deploys federal officers and National Guard troops to combat crime in major Democratic-run cities.
The president suggested this week that the cities could be utilized as a “training ground” for the nation’s military.
The list already includes Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland – where local leaders are pushing back against a White House effort to federalize 200 members of Oregon’s National Guard.
On Tuesday, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that 219 officers in Memphis had been special deputized and the Joint Operations Center was operational.
By the next morning, the Memphis Safe Task Force had apprehended 53 individuals and seized 20 illicit firearms, according to Bondi.
She visited the city on Wednesday, joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth, addressing an audience in Tennessee, emphasized that the federal government has an obligation to “enable the empowerment” of law enforcement agencies in Memphis, facilitating their ability to “deliver safety and freedom to citizens.”
In the vicinity of a county jail located east of central Memphis, federal and state law enforcement personnel – some clad in FBI vests – congregated around sunrise on Wednesday.
Roughly 100 vehicles, including RVs and command trucks displaying US Marshals Service and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation logos, were stationed in nearby lots and fields.
CNN crew members noticed uniformed military personnel accompanied by Humvees at the makeshift command center, roughly two weeks after Trump’s statement about the National Guard’s deployment to Memphis. CNN has reached out to the National Guard to confirm the timeline of their arrival in the city.
Trump stated on social media Wednesday afternoon that guard members in Oregon have been deployed.
The Portland mayor’s press office could not confirm immediately whether troops are in the city; CNN has reached out to the Portland Police Bureau, the governor’s office, and the Oregon Military Department.
State leaders are pushing back, contending in a federal lawsuit and a text exchange between the Democratic governor and a Trump aide that the Republican president’s call to quell ‘anarchy’ in Portland is predicated on outdated and flawed intelligence, rendering the deployment of boots on the ground unnecessary.
Saturation of areas under siege
Trump suggests that the federal task force in Memphis model its approach after the perceived success of 2,000 National Guard troops in Washington.
The operation, as outlined by him, involves “large-scale saturation of besieged neighborhoods with law enforcement personnel” and “vigilant enforcement of applicable quality-of-life, nuisance, and public-safety laws.”
Memphis has experienced high rates of violent crimes, including homicides and carjackings, in recent years; however, Democratic and Republican officials have observed decreases in certain crime categories this year.
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