WATCH: Pam Bondi provides update on the 'Memphis Safe Task Force'

Please be seated, thank you. Thank you all for being here today. And thank you to our HUD Secretary, Scott Turner, for your partnership in restoring American communities. Our goal is not only to make Memphis safe, but make Memphis beautiful again. And we're grateful, Secretary, for your partnership. I also want to thank Governor Bill Lee, Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty for their unwavering support to make Memphis safe again. We want to thank Congressman David Kustoff, who's here in the audience, Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton, and our U.S. Attorney Michael Donovan. There's Michael. Thank you so much. All of our other public officials who are here, thank you. And our U.S. Marshal for Tennessee, Tyrese Miller, you have been working tirelessly. Thank you. I also want to thank U.S. Marshal Director Gowdy Saralta, the FBI, DEA, ATF, Treasury Department, DHS, and the National Guard, along, I see our guard back there, thank you, along with all the members of our state and local law enforcement, our sheriffs, our police, thank you for everything you're doing to make Memphis safe. That's our objective. The people of Memphis deserve to be safe. Every American deserves to be safe to go to the grocery store, to take their kids to school, to be able to go to church on a Sunday without fear. In 2024, Memphis had the highest violent crime rate, the highest in the entire country. Memphis' total crime rate was 344 percent higher than the national average, no longer. Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and our dedicated men and women in law enforcement, this surge in Memphis has dramatically dropped crime. The numbers tell the story themselves. They are undeniable. The last 56 days that we have had this surge compared to the same 56-day time period a year ago shows murder is down 48 percent in just 56 days, sexual assault down 49 percent, robbery down 61 percent, overall serious crime down 45 percent here in Memphis. We are reversing the trend. Since President Trump ordered federal law enforcement officers to surge Memphis, 121 children have been located and returned to safety. Those are 121 children who were reported missing and endangered. They have been recovered. More than 3,100 arrests have been made, including 327 known gang members, 501 firearms seized off the streets of Memphis. We have filed federal charges against approximately 150 people. Michael, is that right? Today, 157 federal charges have been filed. Tolerating crime is a choice. This administration chooses law and order and making America safe again. President Trump chooses to protect the good people of Memphis, every neighborhood, and every family. Unfortunately, the safety of our community has been compromised by some judges who continue to obstruct our efforts. I wish they are all watching this, and I hope they're seeing what we're doing here in Memphis. We will not coddle violent criminals at the expense of law-abiding citizens. We will use every legal means at our disposal to make America safe again and to keep Americans safe. In Memphis and in Washington, D.C., and every city across this country, our message is clear. If you're committing violent crimes, if you're committing any crime, we will find you, we will bring you to justice, and we will protect the law-abiding citizens in this country. I want to thank all of our agents again. We're here today because it's Thanksgiving week, and we know all of you are out there protecting all of us. You're not with your families. Many of you are not going to be with your families on Thanksgiving, and we are so grateful for your service and your sacrifice. We know there is no such thing as a normal day in the life of a law enforcement officer. When you go to serve a warrant, you don't know what's behind that door. When you stop a vehicle, pull a vehicle over, you don't know what's behind that window. And we are so proud that we have a president who has taken the handcuffs off of our law enforcement officers so they can do their jobs, and we are putting them on the hands of the violent criminals. The results that you see in this city are a result of that leadership and all of us working as a team. I cannot thank everyone in this room enough for what you're doing. And now it is my honor to introduce my, not only my fellow cabinet member, but my dear friend, the Secretary of HUD, Scott Turner. Well, good afternoon to everyone. It is indeed a great joy to be here with you. And I want to thank my dear friend and colleague and cabinet partner, Attorney General Pam Bondi, for her leadership. Pam, thank you so much for how much you care about the people of America and this great country, in particular here in Memphis. And thank you for your vigilance in upholding our nation's laws, and specifically the reason why we are all here today, that's for making our streets and our neighborhoods, our communities safe. I also want to thank Governor Lee and Senators Blackburn and Hagerty for your commitment to improving the lives of people in Memphis and in all of Tennessee. And also thank you to Director Gaddy, Siralta, and the U.S. Marshals and the FBI agents who are on the front lines every single day to restore safety to our streets in America. And to all the public servants that are here, thank you for your service to this great state and to your country. At HUD, we do believe that public housing should be safe. We believe that. And that's our conviction. A safe community starts with safe housing. If the housing is safe, the community is safe. And we want to take good care of the most vulnerable people in our country. And that means making sure that residents in HUD-funded housing can live their lives in peace and security, free from the horrors of violent crime. That's why HUD, today we're announcing a new HUD Crime Hotline to allow the residents of public housing to call the HUD Office of the Inspector General, the OIG, to report criminals, illegal aliens, sex offenders, human traffickers, and those guilty of gang activity, drug distribution, and fraud. We're spearheading this hotline right here for the residents of Memphis, Tennessee. This Crime Hotline is the latest in a series of actions HUD has taken to help the American cities and neighborhoods be safe, including of those who live in HUD-funded housing. The Memphis Housing Authority serves more than 9,700 households and receives $107 million to administer federal rental assistance programs. And for all of those that are listening right now, residents of Memphis public housing or those who might be concerned about the safety of your friends or family who live in Memphis public housing, for all of you, this announcement is for you. And here's our message. Protect your home. Protect your family. If you see it, if you hear about it, report it. And here's how. You can call 1-800-347-3735 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Time. Or you can submit a tip online at any time through our website. And here it is, hudoig.gov backslash hotline. And this website is monitored 24-7 in real time. I'm going to say it again. The hotline number is 1-800-347-3735. And the website addresses this, hudoig.gov backslash hotline. Law enforcement personnel stand ready to assist you with coordinated efforts with our friends at the DOG and the FBI and state and local partners. This hotline is part of President Trump's effort to make our city safe again. That strategy includes the Memphis State Safe Task Force started by President Trump, which is breaking the grip that violent criminals have had on this city, as the Attorney General alluded to, and returning power back to the people and the citizens of Memphis. We've already seen great progress, which you'll hear more about, since this operation began in October. The task force has arrested more than 3,000 violent fugitives, including up to 12 suspects of homicide, and more than 300 known gang members, and much more. These numbers translate to lives and homes and futures protected. Again, we care about the future of America, the lives of every individual and collective Memphis and Tennessee citizen. But this would not be possible without our great law enforcement, and many of you are here today, and our military members. So thank you from me, from HUD, from Attorney General, and our entire administration. I've spoken to many who have traveled near and far to be part of this effort to make our city safe, true patriots, and great Americans. And I hope that this new hotline is another tool to help this in this effort. The hotline will allow residents of public housing to have their voices heard so their homes can be safe. It will help us to crack down on violent crime and drug distribution, fraud, human trafficking, and the influx of illegal aliens. We'll clean up our public housing so that they can fulfill their function of sanctuaries for the most vulnerable people in our country, where American citizens can get a temporary hand up and then gain independence from government help. Specifically, American citizens, that's who we want to help. Illegal aliens have no place in public housing. It's outrageous that people who should not be here come across our borders and now usurp spots and housing units that should support American people. Establishing this hotline is an important step in fighting this injustice for both the people of Memphis and for Americans nationwide. And I'm grateful for this opportunity to be here with you all today to make this announcement and this next step in the work that's already underway, and truly to restore safety and sanity in Memphis today. God bless you. And next I would like to introduce Senator Marsha Blackburn, who, before I even took office as Attorney General, was calling me constantly about making Memphis safe. So was Senator Bill Hagerty. And thanks to that, our FBI Director Kash Patel came in and did basically a mini-surge, working with our Chief, our great Chief, and our great Sheriff here, to get the numbers down before the official Memphis surge took place. So Senator Blackburn, thank you for your tireless partnership and in fighting to keep Memphis safe. Thank you, General Bundy. And indeed, Senator Hagerty and I were on this before they were sworn in, A.G. Bundy and Kash Patel. Here is the important part of this. Assembled before us today, we have a great team. And there are over 30 agencies, local, state, and federal, that are working together. The goal is to make Memphis the safest city in the United States. That is the goal. And we know that is attainable. When you look at these results that have been achieved in 56 days, yes indeed, we want Memphis to be the safest city in the country. We know this is going to be a long-term effort. We know it doesn't happen overnight, but it is such a wonderful example of how Memphis can be the model for the rest of the country on how you come together as a team, how you fight violent crime, how you don't stop and don't give up, but keep getting these results. So as we have Thanksgiving week, to each and every agency, to our National Guard, of course to our Chief, who is leading this effort, Tyrese Miller, our U.S. Marshal, and we have our U.S. Attorney, Mike Donovan. We also say thank you to the Governor, to the Speaker, for the support that the state has given to make certain this is a successful effort. And we thank the citizens of Memphis who have called our offices, who have spoken up, and who have said thank you for the work to fight violent crime and to make Memphis safe. Thank you all. Senator Bill Hagerty, you've been right there with Senator Blackburn. Thank you. Thank you, General Bondi. Secretary Turner, thank you for being here as well. Governor Gatti, it's great to see you. Governor, thank you for your leadership. Senator Blackburn, thank you for your partnership. And Congressman Kustoff, thank you for all the great work you do with us in Washington. We have a very unique opportunity here in Memphis today, a unique opportunity in Tennessee. It's an opportunity to work as a team to restore safety and justice in one of the most amazing cities in America. We've had a problem with crime in Memphis since I was a kid. I grew up in Tennessee. A lot of us were worried about traveling to Memphis when I was a boy because of the concerns about crime. It's something that really expanded way beyond control with the pandemic. And now it's an opportunity for us to get our army around this. It's required cooperation beyond anything I think we could even articulate today. Senator Blackburn said over 30 agencies are involved, cooperating. But I think most important, I want to thank our local leadership here in Memphis for working arm in arm with us. Our mayor's office, our police chief, our sheriff have all been the best partners they could possibly be in helping us bring a crime situation that was leaving Memphis at the top of the league tables back in 2023, the number one city for major crimes, homicide in America on a per capita basis. We are changing that and we're changing the stars of the people in this city. We are going to make Memphis the safest city in America. We're going to be a role model for the rest of the cities in the United States. And I hope that many city leaders across the country will take a look at what's happening here today. And I think they'll see that this is the key, this is the formula to make their city safe as well. This is going to have repercussions well beyond the borders of the state of Tennessee and I'm so proud that we're making it happen here in Tennessee. One great challenge remains ahead of us and that is to sustain this success. And to do that, Governor Lee and I have talked about this extensively, local leadership will play a big role, Speaker Sexton, you're going to have a big job in this. As a member of the Appropriations Committee at the federal level, we're going to be doing everything that we can to make certain that we have the proper resources going forward so that we're able to maintain the safety of Memphis, to bring back the greatness of this wonderful city. We're seeing it happen right before our eyes and we're going to sustain it. So thank you all very much. And again, General Bondi, thank you for being here and I want to thank overall President Trump for his leadership allowing all of this to happen. Thank you. Thank you, Senators. And since we, the day this was announced and before, Governor Bill Lee, thank you. You have been an incredible partner working with us and I hope some other governors around the country are watching right now, you know who you are. Call your fellow governor, Bill Lee, and he'll tell you what's happening in Memphis when you work together, when you work with Mayor Paul Young, when you work with a great police chief and a great sheriff. We can make a tremendous difference. It is my honor to introduce your governor of Tennessee, Bill Young. Bill Lee. Thank you. Thanks, General Bondi. I'm very grateful to you. Everyone has been called out for gratitude. I just want to say, as the governor of this state, as a seventh generation Tennessean, as someone who's lived here my entire life, who has loved the great city of Memphis, whose grandparents lived six blocks from the river, and as one who knows how remarkable Memphis has been and still is today, but understands the weight of the burden that crime has placed on this great city for far too long. This is Thanksgiving week and this is a governor who has a deep debt of gratitude to everyone who has come together to make this happen. We're in a historic moment for Memphis, Tennessee. For those who haven't known how remarkable this great American city is, they now are beginning to understand it. And when we are a not only remarkable city, but a safe city, as has already begun to happen in this state just in a couple of months, the world will see what can happen when partnership comes together. Sheriff Bonner, Chief Davis, Mayor Young, local leadership that partners with state resources, our Tennessee Highway Patrol that I'm so proud of the work they've done here, our Tennessee National Guard, our Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, for these local and state resources to be backed up by the DEA, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the ATF, General Bondi and her team. When I met with President Trump and sat down and talked about this plan and he said to me that he wanted to return great American cities to a place where they were safe for their residents once again, he indicated to me that the full resources of the federal government would be laid upon this city to partner with the state and the locals. I wondered if all that could happen. He had a vision for that. He insisted that it could in fact take place and we're seeing that unfold before our eyes with murder rates cut in half, crime rates in Memphis at their lowest level in 20 years. This is an example of what can happen when people set aside all their differences and focus on the people of Memphis, Tennessee, the mothers who live in those communities, the businesses that have their capital at risk every day, and the people who live in Shelby County who know just how remarkable this place is and how important it is that we succeed at this task and it's happening. There is a scripture where Paul says, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. And this is a governor in Thanksgiving week who will thank God as I remember every law enforcement officer, every soldier, every director, every leader that is utilizing their resources and their giftings to make this great American city safe again. Thank you very much. Governor, I can say on behalf of all of us, Tennessee is blessed to have you. Thank you. It is now my honor to introduce our U.S. Marshal Gowdy Saralta. As you know, Gowdy led the surge in Washington, D.C. and has had remarkable success. And now, of course, he's here in Memphis. He stepped up to take the call from President Trump once again to make Memphis safe. Gowdy Saralta. Good afternoon. I'm happy to be joined here by Attorney General Bondi, Secretary Turner, Governor Lee, Senators Blackburn and Hagerty, and the others that have been announced before. I want to thank you all for your leadership and your support for the Memphis Safe Operation. I want to thank the Memphians for being so supportive of the task force. I have heard so many stories of Memphians telling our deputies about how happy they are that we are here and they truly feel that the city is safer. The appreciation does not go unnoticed, and I am thankful we are working in a city who appreciates the work that we are all doing. The kindness and thanks from Memphians makes it a little easier for each person working in this operation who is spending time away from their own families. It is an honor to stand before you today as the Director of the United States Marshal Service and the Chairman of the Memphis Safe Task Force. I am very proud of everything the Memphis Safe Task Force has been able to accomplish so far. Over 3,000 arrests as of today. We have arrested some of the worst of the worst. Criminals wanted for murder, drug trafficking, sexual predators. We have been able to locate 121 missing children, as you heard. How remarkable is that? 121 children and teens back home with their parents and guardians. No longer on the streets or in danger. We work beyond borders to recover missing children. The task force has been able to make Memphis a safer place to live, work, and visit. We have seized over 500 firearms. 500 firearms out of the hands of criminals who shouldn't be in possession of those firearms. I am incredibly proud of the work the United States Marshal Service and our federal, state, and local partners have done here. We have come together with 31 different agencies and departments to create what is known as the Memphis Safe Task Force. We will continue to work together for the good of Memphians and for the good of the country, wherever that may be. We will keep moving forward to restore safety and bring justice to those who have fled the law for far too long. Law and order is being restored in Memphis. Thank you again for your support and for being here. We have horrible weather, as you've all seen. Horrible weather. Everyone behind me has to catch a flight. We are also here to go out and serve, help serve dinner to all of our law enforcement before they go out tonight. But we will take a couple quick questions if you have them. But please be respectful of the fact that we have to get out there. And lots of flights will be canceled if we don't get out before this big storm hits. Gates, do you want to? Sure. It's a good question. Well, we hope a governor reaches out like Governor Lee reached out to President Trump. Let's see. If you want to make your city safe, call President Trump. But we'll see. You know what? Regardless of whether you're going to cooperate or not, Donald Trump has made it very clear he's going to keep all Americans safe. Whether you're helping us or whether you're not as an elected official. And here in Memphis, we're blessed to have a mayor. I wish mayor, we have our deputy mayor here today. I wish the mayor could be here with us today. But we all talk to the mayor so much. And Chief Davis and Sheriff Bonner, thank you for everything you're doing. And that's what it's about. So we have some other cities who are in desperate need of help reach out to us. And we are talking to a couple mayors now, I will tell you that. It probably would be unexpected. Sure, we'll be taking all available legal action, including an immediate appeal to hold Letitia James and James Comey accountable for their unlawful conduct. I'm going to keep going on this. I'm not, you know, I'm not, I'm not worried about someone who has been charged with a very serious crime. His alleged actions were a betrayal of public trust. Sure, we want to help all governors, we want to help all mayors who need President Trump's help. Look what we've done in D.C. Look what Donald Trump's leadership has done right here in Memphis. You don't have to be of the same political party. Clearly, this is about keeping Americans safe. If you want to talk to anyone, go out and talk to the residents of Memphis who have been very vocal about what has been done by the leadership of all the people behind me and sitting in this audience to make their great city safe again. We want to help anyone, regardless of political party. Do you want to take that? Yeah, I'm going to let Director Serrato take that. He's been working on that. Yeah, so a couple of things have been done. First of all, we're taking every case we can federal. Our U.S. attorney here, Mike Donovan, is a pioneer in taking these cases federal. The other issue that we have is on the state court side. It seems like the criminal cases are taking too long to see their way through the wheels of justice, if you will. We're open to working with the state prosecutor's office in order to shorten that period of time and get some of these cases flowing. If you don't speed up the process, it's going to continue to back up. But I'm going to tell you what the answer is. Because we can't put them through the criminal justice system does not mean that it's a free path to commit crimes. We're going to keep arresting folks. They keep committing crimes. We're going to keep arresting them. Bonnie, you've got a follow-up, and then we've got to get outside and get to Serrato. It does not. We have made Lindsey Halligan a special U.S. attorney. So she is in court. She can fight in court just like she was. And we believe we will be successful on appeal. And I'll tell you, Lindsey Halligan, I talked to all of our U.S. attorneys, the majority of them, around the country, and Lindsey Halligan is an excellent U.S. attorney, and shame on them for not wanting her in office. Thank you all.