# In Memphis, an ‘anti-crime’ task force quietly turned into an ICE crackdown

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-memphis-an-anti-crime-task-force-quietly-turned-into-an-ice-crackdown/
- Published: 2026-07-27T09:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-27T23:22:49+00:00
- Original publisher: NPR (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.npr.org/2026/07/27/nx-s1-5896284/national-guard-memphis-immigration-task-force
- Topics: Business, Government, Markets, Politics

## Key points

- Memphis "anti-crime" task force mainly became an ICE immigration crackdown
- Immigration arrests rose sixfold; most detainees had no convictions
- Mayor opposes it but says he has no power to stop federal enforcement

## Summary

A federal operation launched in Memphis in autumn 2025, officially billed as an anti-crime initiative called the Memphis Safe Task Force, has in practice functioned largely as an immigration enforcement crackdown. The task force, involving more than a dozen federal agencies and hundreds of Tennessee National Guard troops alongside local and state police, was announced by President Trump and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee even though Memphis crime was at a 25-year low, and was modelled on a similar Washington DC operation targeting "dangerous career criminals." Data analysis instead shows immigration arrests rose sixfold, with most detainees having no criminal convictions, undermining the public-safety rationale used to justify it.

The operation has run for around ten months with no fixed end date, concentrating on traffic stops in Hispanic neighbourhoods. Trump adviser Stephen Miller reportedly told officers "you are unleashed," and one case cited involves an 18-year-old, Yasser Lopez, held for 63 days after a routine traffic stop. Immigrant advocacy groups say the crackdown has paralysed communities, with residents avoiding school, work and medical appointments, and volunteers running hotlines and safe-route alerts. Memphis Mayor Paul Young said he opposes the immigration focus but has no authority over federal enforcement, while Governor Lee praised the task force's impact; the Trump administration reportedly plans to roll out similar task forces in other Republican-led states.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.