In Memphis, an 'anti-crime' task force quietly turned into an ICE crackdown

Members of the National Guard stand watch on Beale St., Friday, July 17, 2026, in Memphis, Tenn.George Walker IV/AP hide caption MEMPHIS, TENN.

— When President Trump announced an anti-crime task force for Memphis last fall, federal and local officials never mentioned immigration enforcement as a goal.But the influx of federal agents into the city has led to widespread immigration arrests — a majority without criminal convictions, according to an Institute for Public Service Reporting data analysis.NPR reviewed arrest data and spoke with lawyers, immigrants, activists and community members to piece together the task force's impact on Memphis over the past 10 months. It found paralyzed immigrant neighborhoods, where scenes played out reminiscent of Chicago and Minneapolis at the height of targeted federal immigration enforcement actions.

Aid networks ramped up their work to help immigrants too fearful to leave their homes.Hotlines rang out with calls from panicked immigrants.

And routine traffic stops led to immigration arrests.All of this has happened without the glare of the national spotlight and amid muted public outcry, as local and state leaders have largely cooperated with the federal government.Meanwhile, Trump has said he has plans for similar task forces elsewhere, particularly in Republican-led states where he has more political buy-in.This is the U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement West Tennessee Detention Facility in Mason, Tennessee.Brad Vest for NPR hide caption "All roads lead to immigration enforcement with this administration," says Chioma Chukwu, executive director at American Oversight, a nonprofit, nonpartisan watchdog that has been investigating the Trump administration's...