For the third time in just over a year, the U.S. Attorney General was in Memphis to tout the efforts of President Donald Trump's Memphis Safe Task Force.
Now-former AG Pam Bondi came to Memphis to welcome the Task Force at the start of October 2025, and she came back months later to celebrate Thanksgiving
with the Task Force. But on Oct. 16, current AG Todd Blanche flew to Memphis to commemorate the Task Force's first year of operation."I'm one of the few people out of Washington, DC, that has not been to Memphis since the start of the Task Force until today," Blanche said from the center of a U-shaped table set up inside the Task Force's base of operations near Shelby Farms. "So the president's been here, the directors of all our law enforcement
agencies ― Gaddy's (U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces Serralta) basically lived here, I think he's gonna be a resident next year probably. So I'm really privileged and honored to be here today with everybody sitting at the table."
Joining Blanche at the table were officials from multiple federal, state and local law enforcement agencies — including the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Justice, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Shelby County Sheriff's Office and Memphis Police Department.
Republican elected officials U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who is running against Democratic Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green for governor, U.S. Rep. David Kustoff, who is running for reelection in U.S. House District 8 against Democratic former Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn, and Tennessee state Sen. Brent Taylor, who is running for the House District 9 seat against Democratic state Rep. Justin J. Pearson, also were at the table.
Much of the conversation revolved around the arrests made by the Task Force, the number of missing or endangered children recovered, and how many of those arrests involved what they described as "known gang members."
At the time of the roundtable, nearly 14,000 arrests had been made by the Task Force, according to its data. According to a member of the Tennessee Highway Patrol present at the event, state troopers have stopped "140,000 cars in one year."
"There was a time when troopers in Shelby County stopped 3,000 cars in a year," he said.
Blanche also echoed the sentiments of other heads of Task Force agencies, saying the Task Force will remain in Memphis for a while longer. He did not, however, indicate when the Task Force's work could come to an end.
"But, again, we're not here saying that we're packing up and going home," Blanche said. "To the contrary, we're saying that we have invested in this city and we're not cashing out our investment. We're actually going to continue to pay into this city, and continue this investment with manpower and funds and working together so that, in another year, when we come back here, we'll be able to champion even more successes."
After the roundtable ended, Blanche fielded questions from local reporters and said there is now an effort to see how the Task Force can "normalize" its efforts as opposed to having a constant surge of federal agents. Agents have been shifted in and out of the city on two- to three-week assignments, which Blanche said reflects the sacrifices they are willing to make to help the country become safer.
"We are sending them away from their families two or three weeks at a time, or a month at a time," he said. "So the way that we're dealing with that is just adjusting our resources and where we have been and where they're located so that it isn't the strain it might otherwise be. But at the end of the day, it is a sacrifice."
He also said he was not aware how someone could criticize the Task Force's efforts.
"When you look at the numbers — this isn't an [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] issue, this isn't a Republican or Democrat issue," Blanche said. "This is a situation where you have a very violent city — one of the most beautiful, wonderful, historic cities in this country — and yet, the history and the amazing things about it are all torn down because every time you Google the city, it's another murder or violent crime."
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: US AG Todd Blanche comes to Memphis to tout Trump Task Force successes
