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President Donald Trump signed an order Monday sending National Guard troops into Memphis to fight crime.
Trump announced the action in the Oval Office alongside Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, calling the initiative “a replica of our extraordinarily successful efforts” in Washington. Last month, Trump sent the Guard into the nation’s capital and federalized its police department, a move he has since argued brought crime down.
“The city, a beacon of American culture that was Elvis’s home and is often called the birthplace of rock and roll and the blues, should be safe and secure for all of its citizens and Americans who visit its historic landmarks such as Graceland, Beale Street, and the Memphis Pyramid,” the order reads.
“To restore public safety and order, State and local leaders have requested Federal assistance, and I will act quickly to ensure that Federal authorities assist Memphis law enforcement to the fullest possible extent,” the order added.
In addition to Guard troops, Trump said the Memphis surge would include officials from federal agencies such as the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service. “We’re sending in the big force now,” he said.
The White House said on social media that Memphis’ overall crime rate was higher than the national average and suggested it had increased since last year, running counter to national declines. The city has continued to struggle with persistent gun violence, setting a record with more than 390 homicides in 2023.
Lee welcomed the federal deployment as part of what he called a broader law enforcement surge in the city. He said he was “tired of crime holding the great city of Memphis back.”
Trump had first signaled on Friday that he would send troops to Memphis, drawing pushback from Democratic Mayor Paul Young.
“I did not ask for the National Guard, and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime,” Young told reporters while acknowledging that Memphis remains too high on too many “bad lists.”
Chicago had been widely expected to be Trump’s next target for a federal crackdown, but his administration has encountered strong opposition from Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other Illinois officials.