TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Sep 15, 2025

President Donald Trump on Monday signed a presidential memorandum creating the Memphis Safe Task Force, which, according to the Daily Memphian, will bring together federal law enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Guard to “restore public safety and get dangerous career criminals off of [the] streets.” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and the state’s two U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty were at the Oval Office for the signing.  Read more in a fact sheet or watch the remarks. Last Friday, Trump announced that the National Guard would be deployed to Memphis to address what he called the city's persistently high crime problems, Axios reports. Also Friday, Gov. Lee released a statement, saying his office had been in “constant communication” with the Trump administration to “work out details” for the plan. According to the Commercial Appeal, Memphis Mayor Paul Young said he was not happy about the decision but would work "strategically to ensure that this happens in a way that truly benefits and strengthens our community." Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris called the move an "obliteration of America’s most important norms." That paper has reactions from other elected officials and local residents.