(NewsNation) — Tennessee officials expect to learn more details this week about President Donald Trump‘s plans to deploy National Guard members to Memphis, which he announced during a TV interview last Friday.
Democratic Mayor Paul Young said Trump’s comments were the first confirmation he received of the upcoming anti-crime operation in the city, which the president has described as “deeply troubled.“
Tennessee elected officials divided on National Guard deployment
Memphis recorded the highest crime rate per 100,000 people last year, according to FBI data. That includes murder, rape and robbery. Data shows 2,501 violent crimes per 100,000 people recorded last year.
But earlier this month, the Memphis Police Department also noted progress: “Overall crime is at a 25-year low, with robbery, burglary, and larceny also reaching 25-year lows. Murder is at a six-year low, aggravated assault at a five-year low, and sexual assault at a twenty-year low.”
City police have said overall crime has decreased by 22% compared to last year.
Democratic Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris — whose jurisdiction includes Memphis — opposed Trump’s plans on social media.
“The President sending troops to Tennessee will interfere and have a chilling effect on Tennesseans’ ability to exercise critical freedoms, such as the freedom to protest and the liberty to travel,” Harris wrote.
Young also said he believed Trump’s plan was not the right move, but did not vow to try to stop it.
“I do not support the National Guard — however, they are coming. It’s not the mayor’s call,” Young said.
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A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Bill Lee said more conversations with Trump’s office will take place this week.
Trump has appeared to set his sights on Memphis as National Guard troops remain on the ground in Washington, D.C., and Chicago has seen a surge in federal immigration enforcement.
