A federal crime-fighting task force in Memphis, ordered by President Donald Trump, has made more than 2,800 arrests, creating a cascade of strain on the city’s overcrowded jail and backlogged court system that officials say will take years to resolve.
The Memphis Safe Task Force, comprising federal, state, and local officers along with National Guard troops, was launched to combat a persistent violent crime problem. However, the surge in arrests is having significant downstream effects:
- Jail Overcrowding: The Shelby County Jail is so overcrowded that inmates are being moved to other facilities, and some are sleeping in chairs at intake. This raises safety concerns in a facility that has seen 65 deaths since 2019.
- Court Backlogs: The court system is now discussing night and weekend sessions to manage the influx of thousands of new cases, with the county mayor requesting more judges.
While homicides had already decreased 20% this year before the task force began, local officials question the planning behind the operation. “The task force deployment probably could have used more planning,” said Steve Mulroy, the county’s district attorney. “More thought could have been put into the downstream effects.”
Community advocates and opponents argue the task force is targeting minorities in the majority-Black city, intimidating law-abiding residents and causing some Latino residents to skip work and avoid public places for fear of being unfairly detained.
By James Kisoo
