A federal task force introduced as an effort to combat violent crime in Memphis has also become a major immigration-enforcement operation.

President Donald Trump and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee launched the Memphis Safe Task Force last fall, bringing together more than a dozen federal agencies, local and state police and hundreds of Tennessee National Guard members.

Officials said the operation would target dangerous career criminals and described it as a version of the federal task force already operating in Washington, D.C. Immigration enforcement was not publicly identified as one of its principal goals.

Over the following 10 months, however, immigration arrests in Memphis increased sharply. During the task force’s first several months, the number reportedly rose to approximately six times the previous level.

An analysis by the Institute for Public Service Reporting found that most of the immigrants arrested had no previous criminal convictions. City data also indicate that the majority of the task force’s arrests—including those unrelated to immigration—have involved nonviolent offenses.

Many immigration arrests reportedly began with routine traffic stops, particularly in two Memphis neighborhoods with substantial Hispanic populations. Immigration advocates said some residents consequently avoided work, school, medical appointments and other public places because they feared being detained.

Memphis’ immigrant population, composed largely of Hispanic and Haitian residents, represents approximately 10% of the city’s population but is also one of its fastest-growing segments.

The task force does not release a detailed breakdown of its arrests. Immigration figures appeared on a city-operated public dashboard during the operation’s first several weeks but were later removed, prompting criticism about transparency.

A U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson said immigration enforcement is only one part of the operation and maintained that its primary focus remains apprehending violent offenders. The spokesperson also denied that particular communities were being deliberately targeted.

The White House called the Memphis task force a success and said the operation has produced significant benefits for the community. Trump has indicated that similar multi-agency task forces could be established in other cities, particularly in Republican-led states where local leaders are more willing to cooperate with federal authorities.

The Memphis operation began despite the city’s crime rate reportedly having fallen to a 25-year low. It has continued largely without the intense national attention received by immigration operations in Chicago and Minneapolis.

Federal agents, unmarked vehicles and National Guard personnel remain visible around Memphis. The task force currently has no announced end date.

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