President Donald Trump announced Friday that Memphis will be the next city to receive a federal policing surge.
The Tennessee city becomes the second to see the operation, following Washington, D.C.
High Crime Rates
Memphis, with a population of about 611,000, has the highest violent crime rate among major U.S. cities.
Authorities recorded 297 murders last year, alongside 2,501 violent crimes per 100,000 residents.
The new operation is aimed at reducing those numbers and restoring public safety.
Trump’s Announcement
“We’re going to Memphis. [It is] deeply troubled and the mayor is happy. The Democrat mayor is happy. And the Governor is happy,” Trump said on Fox & Friends.
“Deeply troubled — we’re going to fix that, just like we did Washington. I would have preferred going to Chicago,” he added.
🚨 BREAKING: “We’re going to Memphis. Memphis is deeply troubled… We’re going to fix that just like we did Washington.” pic.twitter.com/I5Owl0ueOK
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 12, 2025
Trump said the idea was raised by a railroad executive on the board of FedEx, headquartered in Memphis.
The executive told him he needed an armored vehicle just to travel one block to his hotel because of crime in the city.
“It’s so terrible,” Trump quoted him as saying.
Federal Surge Strategy
Last month, Trump deployed federal law enforcement and National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., following a wave of violent crime.
He has also threatened to do the same in Chicago, though state and city officials there oppose the move.
ICE agents launched “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago this week, targeting illegal migrants with criminal records.
That operation, however, is separate and focused on border enforcement.
Trump suggested the National Guard will be part of the Memphis surge.
“We’ll bring in the military, too, if we need it. But National Guard,” Trump said.
He called Memphis “a great music city… home of Elvis and everything else.”
Past Precedent
Trump previously ordered similar federal deployments in 2020 under Operation Legend.
That multi-agency surge focused on major cities battling spikes in violent crime.
The Memphis action marks the continuation of his broader law-and-order agenda.
Moving Forward
Trump emphasized that both Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee support the plan.
He promised swift results, comparing the effort to his recent push in Washington.
“So we’re going to Memphis. I’m just announcing that now, and we’ll straighten that out,” Trump said
