The Memphis City Council on Oct. 20 passed a resolution calling for U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement and the Tennessee National Guard to leave Memphis. The Guard and ICE have been involved in Memphis Safe Task Force operations for the past year.
The resolution, which passed with 9 yes votes and one member abstaining, was originally brought to the body by Council members Yolanda Cooper-Sutton and Michalyn Easter-Thomas. The resolution has no legal power, but simply reflects the wishes of the elected officials.
In an Oct. 6 committee meeting, Easter-Thomas said the resolution comes following a recent ICE raid in which 121 people were detained at a bar in Berclair, and around the one-year mark of the Memphis Safe Task Force's presence in Memphis.
"The city in the last 12 months has seen nothing but strife, issues, raids, killings since we've had them in our city..." she said. "It's just about time that we're able to take control of our city back from federally mandated state and federal occupation."
Easter-Thomas called on the City to partner with residents and community-based organizations to develop sustainable public safety initiatives, but did not elaborate with specifics.
Councilman JB Smiley Jr. and Councilwoman Jerri Green pledged their support before the Oct. 20 vote, and Warren called voting in support of the resolution a "no-brainer." A handful of people gave public comment pushing for the item, and a visible majority of the audience expressed support.
Two people were escorted out of the meeting after shouting from the audience during discussion of the resolution.
But some Council members pushed back.
Councilman J. Ford Canale said the City must uphold the law, and since the Council doesn't have the authority to remove the agencies from Memphis, he doesn't want to give people false hope.
"We can have a heart for those that get torn away from their families, while also standing with law enforcement and upholding the rule of law," he said in the committee meeting.
In the Oct. 20 regular Council meeting, Councilwoman Rhonda Logan called for the removal of ICE, but not the National Guard. She said feedback from constituents about safer neighborhoods and less crime over the past year informed her position on the issue.
The Council has generally seemed in support of retaining the assistance of some agencies that are part of the task force, including the Tennessee Highway Patrol and U.S. Marshals Service. Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis has repeatedly testified to the positive effects the highway patrol has had on alleviating some of MPD's traffic responsibilities.
Annie Goldman covers government for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at annie.goldman@commercialappeal.com or 901-930-7431, and followed on X @AnnieSGoldman.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis City Council asks ICE, National Guard to leave the city
