Bondi and Hegseth rally federal agents and troops in Memphis as part of
crime task force
[October 02, 2025]
By ADRIAN SAINZ and TRAVIS LOLLER
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General
Pam Bondi and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller on
Wednesday rallied members of a federal law enforcement task force that
has begun operating in Memphis as part of President Donald Trump's
crime-fighting plan for the city.
The officials met with Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican who has
supported the project, before touring a staging area for the Memphis
Safe Task Force and then speaking to a group of federal, state and local
law enforcement officers and Tennessee National Guard members.
Miller called the task force an “all of government, unlimited support
operation” that would make the city “safer than any of you could ever
possibly imagine.” He predicted that “businesses and investment are
going to pour in, and Memphis will be richer than ever before.”
“We’re not here to second guess you,” Hegseth told them. “We’re here to
have your back — to unleash you to do your jobs so you come home
safely.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, who represents Memphis in Congress,
said he was disappointed to learn about the visit in the media. In a
letter to Hegseth and Bondi, he urged them to be more collaborative and
expressed concern about the “wartime rhetoric” coming from the Trump
administration.
“Memphians are not enemies; they are Americans,” Cohen said. “They are
entitled to constitutional rights, not their government working to
‘intimidate, demoralize, hunt and kill’ them. We are not a training
ground or target practice.”
The task force is part of a larger effort by Trump to use National Guard
troops and surge federal law enforcement in cities, particularly ones
controlled by Democrats. Following troop deployments in the District of
Columbia and Los Angeles, he referred to Portland, Oregon, as
“war-ravaged” and threatened apocalyptic force in Chicago. Speaking
Tuesday to U.S. military leaders in Virginia, Trump proposed using
cities as training grounds for the armed forces.
Arrests begin in Memphis
Bondi said in a social media post earlier in the day that the task force
has made more than 50 arrests over a two-day period. More than 200
officers have been deputized, including personnel from immigration and
drug enforcement. They are serving criminal arrest warrants and teaming
with state agencies on traffic stops.
Memphis should expect to see an increase in warrant enforcement,
especially for violent criminals, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Ryan
Guay said in an email. The Marshals Service will release periodic
updates that include arrest numbers, types of charges and participating
agencies, he said.
Tennessee National Guard troops will help Memphis Police, Lee has said,
but it is unclear how soon that will begin. Lee does not expect more
than 150 National Guard members to be sent to Memphis. The city has said
there will be no tanks, and the governor said troops will not make
arrests or be armed unless local authorities request it.
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Federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and
U.S. Customs and Border Protection walk north on North Clark Street
in the River North neighborhood, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Chicago.
(Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
Memphis has experienced high numbers of violent crimes such as
carjackings and homicides in recent years, but both Democratic and
Republican officials have noted decreases this year in some crime
categories.
Opponents of the deployment say it is an unnecessary federal
occupation of a majority-Black city that instead needs more funding
to address poverty and other drivers of crime. Supporters see it as
a welcomed infusion of law enforcement for a city that still needs
help battling violence.
Troops reporting for duty in Oregon
Across the country in Oregon, meanwhile, members of that state's
National Guard reported for duty Wednesday. The troops were
“preparing to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and
other U.S. Government personnel who are performing federal
functions, including the enforcement of federal law, and to protect
federal property in Oregon,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
It could be several days before they are deployed to federal
buildings, the Oregon Military Department’s director for government
and legislative affairs, Russell Gibson, told state lawmakers
Tuesday. The troops will come from a military police company and an
infantry company, he said.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield is attempting to block the
deployment, with a hearing in the case scheduled for Friday.
Immigration arrests in Chicago
Federal agents have conducted hundreds of immigration arrests in
Chicago since last month, primarily through traffic stops and
targeting day laborers and homes in predominantly Latino and
immigrant-heavy neighborhoods.
At least 37 people were arrested early Tuesday at an apartment
building in the predominantly Black South Shore neighborhood. The
location was chosen due to alleged connections to the Tren de Aragua
gang, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Immigrant rights activists called it further escalation of an
operation that has seen armed Border Patrol agents make arrests at
famous downtown landmarks. Illinois leaders say they are also
bracing for the administration to dispatch military troops.
___
Loller reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press writers
Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, and Sophia Tareen in Chicago
contributed.
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