Overview
- Since late September, the Memphis Safe Task Force has made more than 2,800 arrests and issued over 28,000 traffic citations with hundreds of federal, state and local officers, including National Guard troops.
- The Shelby County Jail, built for about 2,400 people, averaged 3,195 inmates in September, with roughly 250 detainees housed offsite by mid-November and intake reports of people sleeping in chairs.
- Chief Jailer Kirk Fields requested at least $1.5 million in emergency funds as offsite housing complicates transports, attorney access and costs.
- Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris asked for additional judges while preparing for 3,500 to 5,000 arrests, the Tennessee Supreme Court designated two senior judges to assist if needed, and proposals include night and Saturday sessions plus a misdemeanor warrant clinic.
- Opponents cite disproportionate impacts on minorities and immigrant communities, with 319 administrative immigration arrests reported, as federal officials defend the operation’s effectiveness and the Bureau of Prisons offers a satellite prison camp for overflow.