Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and AG Pam Bondi Visit Memphis as Task Force Underway

by | Oct 1, 2025

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she and U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will be on the ground in Memphis on Wednesday as the Memphis Safe Task Force is underway to address the city’s crime surge.

During a Tuesday appearance on Fox Business, Bondi said she and Hegseth will meet with Tennessee National Guard troops, state police, federal law enforcement personnel, Mayor Paul Young, and local residents.

“So many businesses are pouring into Memphis. So many great AI companies, tech companies, and we want to make Memphis safe for them, the mayor wants to make it safe, and we’re going to work hand-in-hand with them,” Bondi said.

Bondi and Hegseth’s visit to Memphis comes on the third day of the Memphis Safe Task Force’s operations, which have led to 53 arrests and the seizure of 20 illegal firearms in just 48 hours.

Furthermore, Bondi reported the task force located a missing juvenile and recovered three firearms from the home of a murder suspect.

“At [President Trump’s] direction, we are making America safe again,” Bondi said.

Last month, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum ordering an aggressive federal intervention in Memphis in response to what he called “tremendous levels of violent crime.”

The presidential memorandum, titled “Restoring Law and Order in Memphis,” establishes a multi-agency task force and authorizes the deployment of National Guard units to assist “overwhelmed” local law enforcement.

Prior to the deployment of guardsmen, two operations led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) this summer – CRIME (Crime Reduction in Memphis) Team and Operation Viper – collectively led to nearly 1,000 arrests and hundreds of federal indictments of individuals identified as violent criminals and members and leaders of gangs in Memphis.

Memphis had the highest violent crime rate per capita in 2024, data from the FBI shows, The Hill reported.

Watch Bondi on Fox Business:

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Pam Bondi” by Department of Justice. Photo “Pete Hegseth” by Pete Hegseth. 

 

 

 

   
This article may be republished only in its entirety and only with proper attribution to State News Foundation.

Written By Kaitlin Housler

Journalist

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