Trump to deploy federal agents, National Guard to Memphis for crime control

By 
 September 16, 2025

President Donald Trump is continuing his mission to keep America's cities safe, and is paying special federal attention to some of the most dangerous ones.

According to CBS News and other outlets, President Trump and his administration announced this week that they would be mobilizing federal law enforcement officers to join the Tennessee National Guard on the streets of Memphis -- a once beautiful city that turned violent over the years. 

The news came via a presidential memorandum signed by the president, in which he vowed to bring safety back to the streets of Memphis.

Trump announced the deployment to the surprise of many who believed Chicago, Illinois was the next city on his list as far as troop and federal agent deployments.

What's going on?

Trump, vowing that the task force for Memphis will be a "replica" of the one he used in Washington D.C., signed the memo at the request of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, who was in the Oval Office at the signing ceremony.

"The effort will include the National Guard as well as the FBI, ATF, DEA, ICE, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S, Marshals," President Trump stated at the signing.

The president used a similar approach to clamp down on soaring crime rates in the nation's capital, with great success, despite the continued pushback from many on the Democratic side of the aisle.

CBS News noted:

Mr. Trump said he went ahead with the memo "at the request" of Tennessee's Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who was in the Oval Office for the signing. Specifically, the memo directs the defense secretary to ask the governor to make the Tennessee National Guard available to help federal law enforcement.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth praised the Tennessee National Guard.

"They're a volunteer state," Hegseth said Monday. "We're not going to have any problems with the Tennessee National Guard."

Social media reacts

Users across social media cheered the president and his administration for the decision to clean up the streets of Memphis.

"Thank you @POTUS!! We are thrilled and thankful you are rolling in with the NG. My son was carjacked right beside his school in Memphis. It was two thugs with guns to my son's back and head. They were never caught, and the car was never found. We need you in Memphis!" one X user wrote.

Another X user wrote, "I grew up in Memphis. Thank you Mr. President."

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