Memphis, Tennessee (AP) – When President Donald Trump His order, which created a task force to combat crime in Memphis, included the deployment of the National Guard and various federal agencies to enforce the City of Tennessee’s federal immigration law, among other goals.
One of the departments included in Memphis Safe Task Force Homeland security oversees immigration and customs enforcement. Latinos are worried that Surges will be used to target them at home, at school, and where they will target them in places they will work as part of Trump’s plan for mass detention and deportation of immigrants around the country.
Sandra Pita, a mother of six who is a Mexican-US citizen, said she and other Hispanics in Memphis fear that their friends, relatives, even those legally in the US, will be caught up in the crackdown.
“My concern as a Latina is that they target brown skin tones, dark skin tones, my children as citizens, and the children of other mothers born here in Memphis,” said Pita, born in California.
Mixed responses to the presence of the National Guard
Opponent of Expanding It is called unnecessary movement and federal occupation of cities. Instead, they need more funds to deal with poverty and other crime drivers. Advocates say that despite recent improvements to crime statistics, what needs to be useful in combating violent behaviors such as carjacking and murder is a welcome infusion of law enforcement.
“It’s not a profession, it’s an investment,” Tennessee Sen. Brent Taylor, a Republican who supports the deployment, said at a recent GOP rally.
Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee publicly said he doesn’t think more than 150 national security guards will be sent to Memphis. Lee has not yet formally signed an executive order to deploy members. An unknown number of officers from other agencies will also be involved, from federal immigration authorities to drug enforcement agents.
Democrat Mayor Paul Young said he didn’t want to deploy and didn’t think it was a way to reduce crime. In his weekly newsletter released Friday, he said he spoke to Washington officials. He said the city’s national guards said “like eyes and ears on the streets, “like a larger neighborhood clock than a frontline police officer who approached them to glorify the city and deal with the homelessness.”
Still, data from the federal operation in Washington shows that over 40% of arrests made during the month of operations are related to immigration. Associated Press Analysis Found.
It is unclear when the National Guard will arrive, but officials say it could happen within a week.
The governor’s consent to the National Guard stands in contrast to the state’s Democratic leaders, such as: California and Illinoisclaims that similar developments will weaken local governments and burn tensions. The president also suggests he can do it Send the soldiers to New Orleansanother majority city led by the Democratic Party of the nation, leaning towards the Republican Party.
Local groups are preparing for immigration enforcement
According to census data, approximately 10% of Memphis’ population is Hispanic. Since Trump took office in January, community groups have educated Memphis’ rights and what to do if approached by agents questioning the status of immigrants.
These organizations deal small red cards with instructions in English and Spanish. For example, people avoid opening doors to agents who don’t have warrants and sign nothing without a lawyer.
Other groups are working to notify residents on social media about real-time law enforcement activities that could involve immigration operations.
Mauricio Carbo, CEO of Latin Memphis, said he recognizes crime as a key issue in Memphis, but does not support the deployment of the National Guard. Kalbo says he was surprised by the many Latinos who are being spoken with approval of the deployment, and worries that some people may not understand what it means.
“I don’t think they understand the potential consequences for racial profiling and actual deportation,” Kalbo said.
Calbo noted that the former prison in the Mason country town, located east of Memphis, has been transformed into an ice detention facility with hundreds of beds.
“I’m worried that this could quickly pivot into a large number of detentions for people who look or hear like immigrants,” he said.
Casey Bryant, a lawyer who works with Latino immigrants, said he is concerned that some National Guard and law enforcement agencies may be unfamiliar with immigration law.
“It can cause a lot of confusion and confusion, and can deprive people of their due process rights in the immigration context and perhaps even in the criminal context,” Bryant said.
Immigrants need to be prepared for possible law enforcement potential, such as preparing their families when they are in custody and contacting lawyers who can help them, Bryant said.
“Everyone is trying to prepare a way to live with this kind of being,” she said.
