Trump signs order to deploy National Guard to Memphis

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a presidential memorandum establishing the "Memphis Safe Task Force,” which will deploy National Guard troops alongside federal agencies to tackle rising crime in Memphis, Tennessee.

The order was signed on Monday at the White House during a meeting with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.

Trump described the operation as a “replica of our extraordinarily successful efforts” in Washington DC, where federal forces and National Guard troops were previously mobilised to reduce criminal activity.

The Memphis task force will include officials from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

“We’re sending in the big force now,” Trump said.

The president said the initiative was prompted by concerns over Memphis’ crime rate, which remains above the national average and has risen since last year, despite local police reporting decreases across major crime categories in the first eight months of 2025. Gun violence remains a significant challenge in the city, which recorded more than 390 homicides in 2023.

Governor Lee welcomed the federal support, saying the joint effort could bring “meaningful changes” to Memphis. Trump indicated similar deployments could follow in other cities, including Chicago, Baltimore and Portland, though action in some locations may be delayed.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young has expressed opposition to the deployment, saying he did not request the National Guard and questioning whether it is the right approach to reducing crime.

The memorandum builds on previous federal efforts, including National Guard deployments to Los Angeles in June to control protests and to Washington DC last month as part of an anti-crime operation, which reportedly removed around 1,500 offenders from the capital.

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