MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — Tensions are rising in Chicago and others U.S. cities as federal agents clash with residents during a wave of immigration raids.
But here in Memphis, the federal presence looks very different. Local leaders say collaboration, not confrontation, is helping keep the peace, creating a tale of two cities.
Chicago has seen arrests, raids, protests, and now clashes. Federal agents have deployed tear gas on residents, as the number of ICE agents surges under what Homeland Security calls Operation Midway Blitz, part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown that has led to tense stand-offs in cities across the country.
Faith leaders in Memphis like Dr. Keith Norman, senior pastor at First Baptist Broad Church, are watching Chicago closely.
“First of all, they did not want it in many cities around the United States, and to have them there against their will is a very difficult thing for their mayor,” Norman said.
But what’s unfolding in Memphis has taken a different tone.
Despite the arrival of federal agents through what the White House calls the Memphis Safe Task Force, the atmosphere here has been far less volatile.
“What you saw from the very beginning was, our mayor did not have as much rebuttal against this, when he realized that it was going to happen against his will. He began to set the tone. We began to have faith leaders, our chief of police. Even though we were resistant of their arrival,” Norman said.
While the task force has made hundreds of arrests in Memphis, Dr. Norman says a coordinated effort between city, county, and faith-based leaders helped prepare Memphis residents for what was coming before tensions could escalate.
“You begin to see information circulate as to how we should comply, how we should respond,” he said. “So, we took some of the vitriol out of the atmosphere, if I can say it that way, and some of the venom of the forceful language that was used in Memphis.”
This week, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris criticized the task force, accusing agents of racial profiling and unlawful stops. But Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee defended the operation.
“The effort, the goal, the purpose is to go after crime in the city. Well, if they’re not a criminal element, then they shouldn’t be afraid,” Lee said.
Despite frustrations about the task force being in Memphis, Dr. Norman says the priority remains keeping Memphis calm and focused on peaceful progress.
“We’re not going to give up a fight, we’re not going to be easy about it, we’re going to keep pushing for change and positive change, and then for them not to occupy our cities,” Norman said.
Dr. Norman also says the language used by our leaders in Memphis all the way to the White House sets the tone to helping keep the peace in our cities.