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President Donald Trump said “deeply troubled” Memphis, Tenn., is next on the list for a potential deployment of National Guard troops after a decrease in crime following the federal law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C.
Memphis has the highest violent crime rate in the United States of cities with over 250,000 people, with a rate of 2,501 per 100,000 people, WSMV reported, citing FBI data. Oakland, California; Detroit; and Baltimore are right behind it.
The president said on “Fox & Friends” Friday morning he would have “preferred” sending troops into Chicago, where Democratic leaders have opposed a surge, but a major immigration enforcement operation is underway.
CHICAGO CRIME, NATIONAL GUARD PUSH MOVE TO FOREFRONT OF TRUMP’S WEEK
“We’ll straighten out the National Guard and anybody else we need,” he later added.
The president then touted Memphis as “a great music city” and the “home of Elvis.”
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris condemned the move to send troops into the city in a statement to Fox News Digital on Friday.
“The president’s announcement that troops will occupy Tennessee communities is disappointing, anti-democratic and violates American norms and possibly U.S. laws,” Harris stated.
“In the short term, the president’s incursion will likely cause confusion and fear in many of our communities, particularly the most vulnerable ones. In the long term, the mark of Tennessee communities being occupied by federal forces will hurt our state’s reputation for generations.”
GOP SENATORS SAY THEY’RE OPEN TO TRUMP DEPLOYING NATIONAL GUARD IN THEIR STATES’ BLUE CITIES
Harris added that it will “have a chilling effect” on Tennesseans wanting to “exercise critical freedoms, such as the freedom to protest and the liberty to travel.” He added that they will do “everything” possible to “prevent this incursion into Tennessee.”
Memphis Mayor Paul Young said in a statement Thursday to the local outlet that he is aware of the possibility of troop deployment, saying he is “working to ensure any efforts to strengthen our community” and asked for more “financial resources” for law enforcement, saying progress is being made in tackling crime in the city, according to WREG.
“We agree with Governor Lee that effective support for Memphis comes through focused initiatives that deliver results like we have seen with the FBI, state troopers and other law enforcement partnerships,” Young stated.
Trump said during the Friday interview that “the mayor is happy.” In the capital city, Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser was strongly critical of the federal takeover at first but then praised the drop in crime.
The nationwide debate continues whether sending troops into cities is the right move as opposed to just federal law enforcement agencies, as the D.C. policy is considered a collaborative effort.
TRUMP’S WEEK SHAPED BY CRIME AGENDA, POTENTIAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO CHICAGO
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., praised the move as a step forward to curbing urban crime.
“Today, President Trump answered my call to do whatever it takes to Make Memphis Safe Again, and I applaud his decision to send the National Guard to Memphis following his tremendous success in reducing violent crime in Washington, D.C.,” she stated.
The federal surge in Bluff City could also be part of “Operation Viper,” which is an effort to have the FBI and the DEA boost their enforcement in West Tennessee.
The White House deferred to the president’s remarks when reached by Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor of Memphis.
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