On this week's Behind the Headlines on WKNO/Channel 10, Memphis Mayor Paul Young joins host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries to discuss the recent increase of federal law enforcement presence in Memphis, efforts to reduce crime, and advancements in local affordable housing.
President Donald Trump recently issued a memorandum establishing the "Memphis Safe Task Force," which includes the deployment of up to 1,500 federal personnel and as many as 1,000 National Guard members to the city of Memphis. Since the operation began, hundreds of arrests have been made, but many details surrounding them remain unclear.
"It's definitely a question that we've been trying to work through ourselves," Young said when asked about who had been detained and for what reasons. "My understanding from our police department is that there is some data that exists from the arrest records that are held within the Shelby County government. And so we're working to try and get access to all of that information."
While those details are still being gathered, Young emphasized that his office aims to ensure the task force focuses on the right issues. "We have at least 30 homicide suspects that we know of," he said. "We want to make sure that as this task force is here, that we're using it to go out there and get the drivers of violent crime in our city."
When asked about the involvement of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Young stated that the city has limited information. "What we were told as this was beginning is that this surge is going to be about violent crime," he said. "If there are individuals that have issues with documentation and status that are a part of any efforts around violent crime, then certainly they would be turned over to ICE."
Young acknowledged community unease, particularly in neighborhoods with large Hispanic populations. "I've definitely heard from the community that there's concern about how immigration enforcement is happening," he said. "That is why our focus is to get the task force laser-focused on violent crime . . . the more we focus on violent crime, the less issues we're going to have with the fears in the immigrant community."
Mayor Young said communication between local and federal partners, including the FBI, DEA, and U.S. Marshals, is strong. "We have a person from Memphis Police Department who's located at the Joint Operations Center," Young said. "They're talking to them on a daily basis and getting updates."
As for the Tennessee National Guard, Young described their role as primarily supportive. "They have sidearms and not the large guns," he said. "They are doing pedestrian patrols primarily in the downtown area. They will support events like Grizzlies games or football games and help direct traffic, relieving some of the pressure on our officers." He added that Guard members "are directed not to directly engage but to call law enforcement for backup when they see an incident taking place."
Young also addressed concerns that arrests from the surge could overwhelm the Shelby County Jail, which is under the sheriff's jurisdiction. "It's certainly a concern," he said. "It's even more reason for us to focus our effort on violent crime. We want to preserve jail space for the individuals that really need to be there."
The mayor celebrated advancements in affordable housing, particularly the completion of South City, which is the redevelopment of the former Foote Homes public housing site. "It was the last traditional public housing development that we had in the city," he said. "We have 720 affordable mixed-income units that are available in our community right now where there were 420 that were standing. It's been a success."
He referred to it as a personal milestone, mentioning that his father was raised in the area. "It's a special moment for me personally, but I think it's a special moment for our city because it's a model that I think can be replicated."
