Memphis: Federal law enforcement operation ramps up, National Guard to come later

Last month, President Trump signed an order authorizing increased federal policing and a National Guard deployment in Memphis, similar to what has happened in Los Angeles, Washington DC and Chicago. The stated purpose is to address crime, although Memphis PD data shows crime is at a 25-year low across most major categories.

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said that the National Guard may not arrive for a couple of weeks. For now there are over 200 federal agents from several agencies, including the ATF, FBI and US Marshals. Davis said she was determined to use federal resources to bring about a sustainable decrease in crime rather than a short-lived illusion of crime reduction. She said she’d spoken to the Metropolitan Police Department chief in Washington, DC, who told her that a lot of people just stayed in their homes during the recent National Guard deployment there. “That will look like crime is down, won’t it?” Davis remarked.

“You are unleashed”

Yesterday, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Steven Miller arrived to address both local and federal law enforcement in Memphis. Bondi and Hegseth said that federal law enforcement (and some local law enforcement that has been federally “deputized”) are there to support and work with Memphis PD on enforcement actions.

Probably the most inflammatory remarks came from Stephen Miller, one of the chief architects on the Trump administration’s federal law enforcement and immigration crackdowns. “I see the guns and badges in this room. You are unleashed,” Miller said. “The handcuffs you’re carrying, they’re not on you anymore. They’re on the criminals. And whatever you need to get it done, we’re going to get it done”.

Many found these comments troubling, given Memphis PD’s recent history of excessive use of force. Probably the most notorious recent example was the brutal and fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by MPD officers in 2023.

In a letter to Bondi and Hegseth, Memphis’ Congressional Rep. Steve Cohen (D) wrote, “Memphians are not enemies; they are Americans. They are entitled to constitutional rights, not their government working to ‘intimidate, demoralize, hunt and kill’ them. We are not a training ground or target practice”. Cohen referred here to comments by President Trump earlier this week that US cities should be “training grounds” for the military.