September 2025
On September 15th 2025, the President issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Memphis, Tennessee due to 2024 FBI data showing that high rates of violent crime in the city. This order created an interagency federal task force, including the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, and Department of Justice components to work together to address the alleged crime emergency. The order also explicitly requests that the Governor make the National Guard available to support DHS and DOJ actions in Memphis as part of this task force.
The impact on the ground was immediately obvious through the targeting of Black and Brown residents for harassment and immigration enforcement. The task force deployment has resulted in more than 4,000 arrests and more than 48,000 traffic stops.
Local elected officials in Memphis sued the Governor of Tennessee over the deployment of the National Guard, arguing that it is the unlawful deployment of a militia. In response, the Tennessee Attorney General argues that the National Guard is an army, not a militia. In November, the state court issued an injunction against the National Guard deployment in Memphis, and the state has appealed.