WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump signed an order Monday sending the National Guard into Memphis to combat crime, offering another major test of the limits of presidential power by using military force in American cities.
With Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee visiting the Oval Office, Trump said troops would be deployed and join a special task force in the city comprised of officials from various federal agencies, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the US Marshal’s service.
He said the goal would be to stamp out crime in a way that he says sending in the National Guard and federalizing the local police force has in Washington, D.C.
“This task force will be a replica of our extraordinarily successful efforts here,” Trump said of the District of Columbia. “And, you’ll see it’s a lot of the same thing.”
The presidential memorandum Trump signed did not include details on when troops would be deployed or exactly what his promised surge in law enforcement efforts would look like.
