Trump-directed Guard troops, federal law-enforcement officers to arrive in Memphis next week

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Friday that National Guard troops are expected to arrive in Memphis next week, along with other federal resources, as part of a crackdown on crime in the major city. 

President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that he would be deploying the National Guard and a federal task force to Memphis, citing the city's crime statistics. Memphis has the highest violent crime rate per capita in the nation. The move comes after he cracked down on crime in Washington D.C.

Lee a Republican, said he would not declare a state of emergency over the high crime rate like the president did in D.C., but welcomed federal resources. The Guard troops are expected to be from Tennessee and will be deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service to support local law enforcement, but will not make arrests or be armed unless asked, according to the Associated Press.

Lee also said the arriving federal law enforcement officers will be from the FBI; the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. However, the number of agents and troops is not immediately clear.

“Success looks like Memphis being a safe city, Memphis being a place where people have no concerns about going out with their family, about locating their business,” Lee said in a news conference. 

Although Lee has welcomed federal assistance, Democratic Memphis Mayor Paul Young said he did not ask for help in getting crime under control in his city. However, he admitted that he understood the troops would come anyway.

“My goal is to make sure that as resources come into our community, we find ways to use them effectively and for the benefit of the residents of our great city,” Young said.

Memphis marks the first city to feature the expansion of Trump's Washington, D.C., crime crackdown. Other cities that could see federal assistance soon include New Orleans, Baltimore and Chicago. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.