President Donald Trump signed an executive order in September to send National Guard troops and other federal law enforcement agencies including ICE, FBI, and U.S. Marshalls to the city of Memphis, Tennessee. Trump’s claims about the city being “deeply troubled” echoed his stated reasons for sending troops to other Democratic-run cities including Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Portland, Oregon.
Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Lee welcomed the order and the arrival of troops and federal law enforcement agents. As seen below at a press conference, Lee said: “We have just begun. We do know this is going to last for months… In fact, I will tell you that it will last forever.”
Gov. Bill Lee says the Trump-Lee military-police occupation of Memphis “may never end.”
“We have just begun. We do know this is going to last for months… In fact, I will tell you that it will last forever.” pic.twitter.com/y9k2Gi6peD
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) October 14, 2025
Lee added: “The collaboration that’s happening right now between the U.S. Marshal service and the Memphis police department and the FBI and the DEA and the Tennessee Highway Patrol…that collaboration will be here for now on. So this operation is some ways will never end. It’ll just change in its scope.”
[Note: Trump has claimed that local law enforcement in other cities has not coordinated with federal law enforcement agencies like ICE and has instead hindered federal operations.]
When the decision to send troops to Memphis was made by Lee and Trump, the Mayor of Memphis, Democrat Paul Young, said “I want to be clear: I did not ask for the National Guard and I don’t think it is the way to drive down crime.”
Yesterday morning, we learned that the Governor & President have decided to place the National Guard & other resources in Memphis, which they have the authority to do.
I want to be clear: I did not ask for the National Guard and I don’t think it is the way to drive down crime. pic.twitter.com/gYO2LSEtC5
— Paul Young (@mayorpaulyoung) September 13, 2025
Young added: “However, the decision has been made. As your Mayor, my commitment is to work strategically to ensure this happens in a way that truly benefits and strengthens our community.”
As seen above on MSNBC, Young suggested that with a deficit of about 300 to 500 officers, some of the federal troops could help “coordinate traffic” for big events including football games hosted by the University of Memphis and basketball games hosted by the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.