Memphis Has Spent a Year Under Federal Occupation. ICE Would Rather You Didn’t Notice.
A massive immigration operation is happening in Memphis. It’s been underway for just under a year now—hundreds of arrests, streets filled with officers. But most people I talk with have never heard of it. Why? As I previously documented for this magazine, the occupation of one of America’s largest majority-Black cities began last September: ICE […]
Memphis has been under federal occupation for nearly a year, with over 1,200 officers now stationed in the city. Despite the extensive operation, few people are aware of the ongoing presence of federal agents. The Memphis Safe Task Force, a collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement, has received support from Tennessee's Republican governor and has been presented as a crime-fighting effort by the Trump administration.
However, this surge in federal presence has received less coverage than similar actions in other cities like Minneapolis.
One of the reasons for the reduced attention is the difficulty of recording federal agents in Tennessee. Hunter Demster, who runs a soup kitchen, has attempted to document the arrests by filming encounters with federal officers. With the assistance of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Demster and other activists sued the task force in May, alleging violations of their First Amendment rights to record.
The lawsuit accuses agents of misapplying Tennessee's Halo Law, which was enacted last year and prohibits individuals from coming within 25 feet of an officer after being warned to step back.
In a recent video, Demster can be seen recording federal officers standing on the side of the road for 20 minutes before an arrest is made. Despite remaining 25 feet away, as required by the Halo Law, the officers demanded he move even further back, eventually being tackled and handcuffed. This incident is just one of many similar encounters Demster has faced throughout the year, with the Halo Law frequently invoked against him and other community members.
The lawsuit highlights the intention of the task force to operate in the shadows, making it challenging to gather information about the federal occupation. While a few states have passed laws requiring a buffer zone around police, courts have struck down these laws due to their vagueness. Recently, a bill was introduced in Congress to help individuals sue federal officers who violate their right to record.
This bill, introduced by Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Florida), cites the situation in Memphis as a catalyst for the legislation.
Written by urgent.news from Mother Jones's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
