Trump Deploys Nationwide Guard to Memphis, U.S. Navy Lawyer Weighs in on Legality

[ad_1] <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-1452391" src="https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ng-in-dc.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ng-in-dc.jpg 2560w, https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ng-in-dc-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"/> Picture courtesy of Maryland Nationwide Guard President Trump introduced he'll deploy the Nationwide Guard to Memphis, calling town “deeply troubled.” Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, a Democrat, urged the administration to not ship troops and stated he could pursue authorized motion. “We'll do the whole lot in our energy to forestall this incursion into Tennessee and to guard the rights, security, and dignity of each resident,” Harris declared.

Crime has been rampant in U.S. cities, particularly below Democrat management in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Chicago, Boston, and New York. Officers in these cities have been accused of manipulating statistics to recommend crime is at historic lows, downgrading offenses, releasing unlawful immigrants with out bail, and solely counting convictions, despite the fact that many offenders by no means returned for trial.

Harris has made related claims, insisting crime in Memphis is at a multiyear low, although town stays among the many most harmful within the nation. Throughout giant and mid-sized cities, crime is rising, but Democrat leaders refuse to handle it. In response, Trump has deployed the Nationwide Guard and Marines in Los Angeles, federalized the police in Washington D.C., and pledged to behave in different cities.

John Deaton, a U.S. Marine veteran, trial legal professional, and writer, defined in an interview with The Gateway Pundit the legality of such actions. “In D.C., the place President Trump approved the Nationwide Guard, it’s been federalized. Federal regulation governs D.C., and the commander in chief has that authority just about carte blanche for 30 days. After that, Congress should authorize it, until the president declares an emergency.”

Outdoors Washington, the principles are completely different. Deaton famous that when Trump despatched Marines to California, they'd a restricted mission: defending federal officers, ICE brokers, and federal property. “That was fully applicable as a result of there was a risk,” he stated.

He additionally pointed to the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which prohibits active-duty troops from day-to-day regulation enforcement. Troopers can not arrest suspects, examine crimes, or act as law enforcement officials. Their position is confined to crowd management and guarding amenities and personnel.

“There are exceptions,” Deaton added. “If there may be an invasion of a sure sort, President Trump, for instance, cited MS-13 flooding into sure cities, that constitutes an invasion, and he can use these mechanisms.”

President Trump has declared emergencies and deployed navy forces on the U.S. southern border and in a number of cities, together with Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and Memphis.

On January 21, 2025, he declared a nationwide emergency on the southern border, authorizing navy assist for border operations. He has additionally threatened to deploy troops to different cities corresponding to Chicago, although that has not but occurred.

On June 7, 2025, Trump declared an emergency in Los Angeles and deployed vital forces in response to immigration protests, 700 U.S. Marines and 4,000 Nationwide Guard troopers.

On August 11, 2025, Trump declared a “public security emergency” in Washington D.C. He invoked Part 740 of the District of Columbia Residence Rule Act, which permits the president to take management of the D.C. Police Division throughout “situations of an emergency nature.” He introduced that 800 Nationwide Guard members could be stationed within the metropolis. The federal takeover of D.C.’s police division was approved for as much as 30 days until prolonged by Congress.

Most not too long ago, on September 12, 2025, Trump stated he would ship the Nationwide Guard to Memphis to handle rising crime. Tennessee Governor Invoice Lee confirmed he had been in “fixed communication” with the administration and supported the deployment, alongside Memphis’s mayor.

These strikes have been controversial. Authorized challenges argue that such deployments violate federal regulation, whereas critics describe them as an overreach of presidential authority. Deaton defined that absent an emergency or invasion, the president is required to work by state governors due to federalism and states’ rights.

“That’s why President Trump has gone out of his method to say to governors, for instance in Illinois, ‘Ask me for assist,’” he stated.

Some governors have responded positively. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry advised Trump he would welcome federal troops to handle crime in New Orleans. Deaton acknowledged the scope of the difficulty: “There's a actual crime downside in a few of our cities like Chicago.”

Trump himself has emphasised his willingness to intervene. “I need to assist,” he stated. “When you ask me for assist, I’ll be there.”

In contrast, in Chicago, one of many cities with the very best homicide charges, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an order rejecting Trump’s provide to deploy the Nationwide Guard. Fifteenth Ward Alderman Ray Lopez, who supported the deployment, expressed frustration: “I'm disenchanted, as a result of it means the residents of Chicago are going to lose, the victims of Chicago are going to be forgotten, and the criminals of Chicago at the moment are going to assume they've scared the president from coming right here to place issues again into place.”

Deaton discovered this troubling. “Criminals don’t discriminate between liberals and conservatives,” he stated. “After they kill, rob, or break into shops, they’re not taking a political litmus take a look at.” He defined that Trump’s insistence on governors requesting federal assist displays authorized limits on presidential authority until an emergency will be clearly established.

Deaton defined that if Trump had been to deploy troops to Chicago, the administration would probably justify it by declaring an “invasion” backed with some type of proof. “Nevertheless it’ll get challenged in courtroom,” he stated. “Often the opposite aspect rushes to a sympathetic choose, perhaps an Obama or Biden appointee, after which it goes up on attraction, ultimately reaching the Supreme Courtroom. So long as troops are restricted to defending ICE brokers and federal buildings, and never handcuffing civilians or doing routine police work, they’ll most likely keep away from crossing the authorized line.”

When requested whether or not designating sure gangs as transnational felony or terrorist organizations would strengthen the president’s case, Deaton agreed. “Completely. I'd think about they’d have stats and knowledge to point out what constitutes an invasion. The truth is it’s going to be a hotly contested authorized situation, as a result of a few of these legal guidelines Trump is counting on date again to the 1800s.” He added that the deeper downside was political. “What could be good is that if these politicians truly labored collectively. What appears to be taking place on the left is that they’re performing as if there isn’t an issue, like there’s no crime right here.”

And this ties again to the falsification of crime statistics, that are used to assert crime is at historic lows regardless of the plain actuality on the bottom.