Memphis leaders could target ICE part of Task Force next
JB Smiley Jr. participates in the Shelby County Mayoral Forum at the Great Hall in Germantown. (Greg Campbell/Special to The Daily Memphian)
The same week a Nashville judge blocked the deployment of National Guard troops in Memphis, the court action has generated its own political waves around the larger deployment of the Memphis Safe Task Force.
The Monday, Nov. 17, ruling by Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal has been stayed pending an expected appeal by the State of Tennessee.
Meanwhile, Gov. Bill Lee has sent more National Guard troops to the city, for a total of 865 in the aftermath of the ruling.
In the original request to the state for the guard, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth set a limit of 1,000 troops requested by President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Memphis City Council member JB Smiley Jr., who is running in the 2026 Democratic primary for Shelby County Mayor, is touting a two-for-two record in court actions against the state, the first being last year’s lawsuit about the 2024 citywide referendum on gun control measures.
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Memphis Safe Task Force Bill Lee JB Smiley Jr. Lee Harris Subscriber Only2025 is almost over. Now is the time to support your trusted local news source.
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Bill Dries
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.
News Stream
Pam Bondi, Bill Lee tout crime decline 56 days into Memphis Safe Task Force
“The numbers tell the story themselves. They are undeniable,” said U.S. Attorney General Bondi, who traveled to Memphis on Monday, Nov. 24.
Task Force has made nearly 3K arrests since it began
Many of the arrests have been on outstanding warrants, and the number of immigration-related arrests is still unclear.
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