Tennessee governor praises federal crackdown on Memphis crime
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) reacts to federal forces deploying forces to Memphis after the arrest of a Tren de Aragua gang member.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee appeared on "Fox & Friends" Friday, praising the Trump administration's federal crackdown on crime in Memphis.
In the Trump administration's latest move to combat crime in U.S. cities, federal agents operating in Memphis have logged nearly 100 arrests over the past 72 hours — including the arrest of a Tren de Aragua gang member and a man wanted in connection with the rape of a child, according to the Justice Department.
Lee told Fox News' Steve Doocy the federal crackdown is a "generational opportunity" for the city.
MEMPHIS RESIDENTS SPLIT OVER NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO FIGHT CITY'S CRIME
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee speaks on stage on the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The governor noted that while Memphis is a "world-class city," it suffers from a serious crime problem. He thanked President Donald Trump for making it happen.
"Thanks to President Trump and his vision for safe cities in America, Memphis is about to be one of the safest cities in the country," he told Doocy. "We are very fortunate we have the full complement of federal resources to make that city safe."
Lee said his office had been working with the Trump administration and the FBI for months in preparation for "Operation Viper" in Memphis.
"It's really exciting to think that a city that has been held back by crime for so long, a great city that has a great future, but that's been held back for so long — is going to have the opportunity… Memphians have the opportunity to live safely again," the governor said.
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Trump signed a memorandum in mid-September creating the Memphis Safe Task Force, modeled after his earlier initiative in Washington, D.C.
"I'm signing a presidential memorandum to establish the Memphis Safe Task Force," Trump said in the Oval Office last month. "And it's very important because of the crime that's going on, not only in Memphis, in many cities, that we're going to take care of all of them a step by step, just like we did in D.C."
Before the start of "Operation Viper," the president told "Fox & Friends" that Memphis is "troubled" and that "we’re going to fix that just like we did Washington."
Trump initially mobilized 800 D.C. National Guard troops to reduce crime in Washington on Aug. 11. Additionally, National Guard troops from Ohio, West Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee were dispatched to support the Trump administration’s effort.
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Fox News' Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
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