US to deploy National Guard to Memphis, Trump says
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US President Donald Trump said deployments could follow to other cities, including New Orleans, Louisiana.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW YORK - US President Donald Trump said on Sept 12 that he would send National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee, to combat crime, following his administration’s unprecedented police takeover in Washington in August
Mr Trump has sought to make crime a central issue despite declines in violent crimes in many cities.
His crackdown on Democratic-led municipalities has spurred protests, including a demonstration by several thousand people in Washington last weekend.
“We’re going to Memphis. Memphis is deeply troubled,” Mr Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ Fox And Friends programme.
“We’re going to fix that, just like we did Washington.”
Mr Trump said Memphis’ mayor, a Democrat, was “happy” with the move.
However, Memphis Mayor Paul Young told a press conference he did not ask for the move.
“I want to be clear, I did not ask for the National Guard, and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime. However, that decision has been made, and as mayor of the city... my commitment is to make sure that we work strategically to ensure that this happens in a way that truly benefits and strengthens our community,” he said.
Memphis, a city of 611,000 people along the Mississippi River, has one of the highest violent crime rates in the United States, according to FBI statistics. Some 24 per cent of residents live in poverty, more than double the national average, according to the US Census Bureau.
The US Justice Department sent federal agents to help fight violent crime in the city in 2020, during Mr Trump’s first term in office.
Mr Trump said he might also send federal personnel to New Orleans – like Memphis, a Democratic-leaning city in a Republican-controlled state.
He has threatened to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago
It was unclear under what authorities Mr Trump would send National Guard troops and what timeline he was looking at.
A federal law called the Posse Comitatus Act generally restricts the use of the US military for domestic law enforcement purposes.
There are exceptions to the Act, and the law often does not apply to actions by National Guard troops under the command of a state’s governor. Mr Trump could also take the far-reaching step of invoking the Insurrection Act.
Governors often deploy the National Guard in their states to respond to natural disasters like hurricanes. Minnesota deployed its National Guard in 2020 to help restore order in the wake of protests after the murder of Mr George Floyd by police.
Mr Trump argues that crime is blighting American cities like Washington, and in recent weeks placed the US capital city’s police department under direct federal control and sent federal law enforcement personnel to patrol the city’s streets.
Justice Department data showed violent crime in 2024 hit a 30-year low in Washington. REUTERS
