Image Credit: @MarshaBlackburn / X
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi met in Memphis with several state and federal leaders on Monday to provide an update on the Memphis Safe Task Force, commending its success and reiterating the Trump administration’s commitment to upholding law and order.
According to Bondi, the Memphis Safe Task Force has made over 3,600 arrests and recovered over 120 missing children, and overall crime in the city is plummeting. She reported murder in Memphis is down 48%, sexual assault is down 49%, and robbery is down 61% comparatively to last year.
The city’s SAFE data dashboard also shows a steady decline in the daily number of criminal offenses since the task force began operations, and the past 53 days reflects a 20% drop in calls for service compared to the same time last year.
“Tolerating crime is a choice,” Bondi said. “This administration chooses law and order.”
Gov. Bill Lee, Senator Bill Hagerty, and Senator Marsha Blackburn were all in attendance at the press conference, and Bondi applauded the Senators’ longtime efforts to clean up Memphis, relaying that they had been asking her to make the city safer even before she took office.
Blackburn praised the task force on the Senate floor last week, saying, “In many ways, the Memphis Safe Task Force is serving as a national model for President Trump’s broader mission to reduce violent crime across the country.” She reiterated that sentiment on Monday, declaring the goal, “is to make Memphis the safest city in the United States. Memphis can be the model for the rest of the country.”
Bondi thanked not only the supportive Republicans for their efforts but also Democrat Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Police Chief C.J. Davis for their cooperation with the task force to reduce crime.
While Mayor Young has seemingly resigned himself to the task force’s presence and necessity of working alongside it, his motives remain questionable as he publicly admitted his goal was to steer the force away from immigration enforcement efforts and seems reluctant to acknowledge the task force as a driving factor in the massive crime decrease.
Reportedly, Young took to social media to tout a reduction in “serious crimes”, saying that as of Nov. 24, Memphis had seen 35,655 serious crimes, which is 12,895 fewer than similar crimes reported in 2024 and 23,691 less than 2023.
Young noted Memphis saw its lowest monthly crime totals in more than 20 years this past fall but neglected to outright recognize the task force for its role in the reduction, instead crediting several local law enforcement operations, increased communication with juvenile courts, the city’s partnership with the FBI, and increased camera technology.
Local immigrant advocacy groups also remain skeptical of the task force’s positive impact, claiming the surge in law enforcement is doing more harm than good. “Those crime numbers don’t tell that crime was already going down. This was a manufactured crisis they created that so they can come in and now claim to be a hero,” said Tekeila Rucker of the 901 organized movement, which seeks to stand against what they call “over-policing and occupation” in the city.
“We want our city to actually be able to heal and people to get their needs met, and we know that more people with guns will not help,” said another 901 member.
And roughly 100 demonstrators assembled over the weekend to protest ICE’s presence in the city as part of the task force, believing that just one immigrant arrest is too many. Organizer Jose Salazar said they gathered, “So the immigrant community can say that they’re not alone and [tell] all of these federal agencies that we’re not going to stay quiet and that we’re not going to take this any longer.”
Bondi’s news conference comes after a federal judge granted a temporary injunction halting the deployment of the National Guard in response to a lawsuit from Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and other area Democrats. The state was given five-days to appeal the ruling, and so long as the appeal was filed within that window, the Guard will not be required to withdraw from the city during the remainder of the suit.
Gov. Lee’s administration is confident it will prevail in the appeal, evidenced by a statement from Lee’s director of communications. “Memphians know their city is facing a violent crime emergency that the state must address, and we’re confident higher courts will ultimately recognize this as well,” she wrote.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
