November 4, 2025
In September, President Donald Trump signed the executive order “Restoring Law and Order in Memphis.”
An investigation from ProPublica and local nonprofit news organization MLK50 paints a grim reality for Black residents in Memphis, who say they face harassment and racial profiling from President Donald Trump’s safety force.
On Oct. 14, Memphis resident Reggie Williams, who is Black, posted on Facebook that he was harassed by the Memphis Police Department and men claiming to be with Immigration and Customs Enforcement when he was walking to a store.
The incident occurred exactly one month after Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Law and Order in Memphis,” which established the “Memphis Safe Task Force,” deploying national guard units, FBI, DEA, and ATF agents along with state and local agencies to “combat violent and street crime in the city.”
In his executive order, Trump said FBI data show that Memphis had the highest rate of violent crime per capita in the U.S., involving murder, robberies, and aggravated assault.
Residents like Williams think the task force is racial profiling Black people. “If you are anything but white, you are an illegal. These people have lost their f*****g minds.”
His advice to Black Memphis residents: “Carry your ID, passport, birth certificate, and social security on you at all times.”
Williams is one of a few stories in ProPublica and MLK50′s investigation. A ride-share driver was stopped for not wearing a seatbelt, despite wearing one. A pastor was pulled over for “looking lost” after leaving a church function. Officers apprehended a 72-year-old man in his robe and underwear in a case of mistaken identity.
The U.S. Marshals Service, the organization leading the task force, denied the accounts from Black residents.
“The suggestion that our federal law enforcement officers are racially profiling citizens is not founded in reality and undermines the credibility and safety of the Task Force Officers who should be commended for the exceptional work they are doing to keep this community safe!” Ryan Guay, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service, wrote in a statement.
What’s happening in Memphis —a city with a history of poor policing —is not an anomaly under the Trump administration.
Not Just Memphis Black Residents
The Trump administration has deployed military and federal law enforcement agencies to various cities, many of which are heavily Democratic and have Black leaders.
Over the summer, Trump declared a crime emergency in Washington, D.C., which led to the temporary federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department and the deployment of National Guard members. Earlier, the Trump administration deployed nearly 4,000 California National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles in response to protests following federal immigration raids.
Both cities have Black women as mayors.
The Trump administration has targeted Chicago, whose mayor, Brandon Johnson, is Black. In one high-profile incident, ICE agents detained residents of an apartment building in Chicago for hours, even separating children from their parents, in an overnight raid. U.S. citizens, including Black residents, were apprehended during the immigration crackdown.
In the last few weeks, Trump deployed National Guard members to Portland, Oregon, a city that overwhelmingly supported Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election.
“Trump’s actions represent a disgusting abuse of power and a calculated attempt to intimidate Black and brown Americans,” Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, wrote in an October 16 statement. “Weaponizing the military and ICE against our communities is not about safety; it’s about control. The NAACP will not stand by as our communities are treated as enemy combatants in our own country.”
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