Trump creates Memphis Safe Task Force to combat crime

President Trump on Monday established the Memphis Safe Task Force in order to replicate in the Tennessee city the recent federal law enforcement crackdown in Washington, D.C.

“This task force will be a replica of our extraordinary successful efforts here and you’ll see it’s a lot of the same thing,” Trump said about D.C., flanked in the Oval Office by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) and GOP Tennessee Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Haggerty.

The president noted that the task force was created at the request of Lee. Federal law enforcement on the ground in Memphis will include the National Guard, FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security investigations and U.S. Marshals.

“I’m tired of crime holding the great city of Memphis back,” Lee said, noting that he spoke with the director of the U.S. Marshals, FBI and Attorney General Pam Bondi about the multiagency crackdown.

“When we come together, we can make significant change in our city and the city of Memphis… and I want to say thank you,” the governor added.

Trump said Chicago will be “probably next.” He has eyed sending federal law enforcement into the Illinois city for weeks.

“We were going to hold it off, we were going to do some of the smaller ones, the truth is our people are so good… I don’t think we need too much practice. But we’ve got to go and save our big cities, our great cities,” Trump said of Chicago.

The choice to go into Memphis is notably supported by the governor and senators, while Memphis Mayor Paul Young (D) earlier on Monday refuted Trump’s claim that he is “happy” about the plan to deploy the National Guard to the city.

While Trump has said for months he wants to takeover Chicago, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) has pushed back on the idea of a federal government takeover.

In July, Trump took over the D.C. police by invoking a Home Rule Act provision, which gives the president the authority to take control for up to 30 days in emergency situations. The takeover expired last week.

Trump earlier on Monday threatened to call a national emergency after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said she expects local police to stop cooperating with ICE efforts since the expiration.