FBI Director Kash Patel Says Memphis Now Nation’s ‘Homicide Capital,’ but Human Trafficking Follows Interstates

In response to a question about human trafficking trends throughout the country, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Sunday that he was surprised to learn upon taking office that Memphis, Tennessee, leads the nation in homicides per capita.

Patel made the remarks during a joint appearance on “Sunday Morning Futures” with Deputy Director Dan Bongino, when he said he was surprised to learn about the crime in Memphis after host Maria Bartiromo asked about the “biggest cells” of trafficking in the country.

“When it comes to trafficking, you’ve got to look at the interstate system and look at the intersections running thereupon the Midwest and across the country. Then you’ve just got to look for hard evidence,” said Patel. “I didn’t know this until my confirmation process, but Memphis, Tennessee, is the homicide capital of America, per capita.”

He added, “We have a problem there. We’re now addressing it. We’re rolling out one of our task forces to Tennessee.”

Patel’s promise to send a task force to Memphis received bipartisan support, with both State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) and Mayor Paul Young offering their support.

“Despite sometimes being the only voice willing to fight to save our community, FBI Director Kash Patel’s focus on Memphis crime fuels our hope,” wrote Taylor in a post to social media. “With the Trump Administration’s support, we’re poised to tackle crime head-on, proving Memphis is a vibrant community worthy of investment and a brighter future.”

Young similarly said, in a statement reported by News Channel 3, “We look forward to learning more from our federal law enforcement partners. Locally, we’re already seeing results.”

The mayor added, “With stronger collaboration and steady local leadership, we’ll keep pushing forward to make every Memphis neighborhood safer.”

Patel’s comments about human trafficking come amid continued speculation over the November 2022 traffic stop of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported in March by the Trump administration.

Abrego Garcia was stopped by the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) on the third day of a trip that originated in Texas, and without explanation included a stop in Missouri, and a detour through Tennessee, on his way to Maryland.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that THP suspected Abrego Garcia of human trafficking during the stop, and video released to The Tennessee Star revealed the citizen of El Salvador was transporting nine people in the 2001 Chevrolet Suburban, which troopers suspected was modified to hold additional seats.

Despite troopers suspecting human trafficking, a THP spokesman told The Star that Abrego Garcia was released at the instruction of the “Biden-era FBI,” which was then led by Patel’s predecessor, former Director Christopher Wray.

Patel later said that various forms of trafficking will be a high priority of the agency under his leadership at the FBI.

“We look at the intelligence and we rely on our 36,000 employees to say this is where stuff’s going wrong.” Patel added, “Right now, the reality of where stuff is going wrong more, more than counterterrorism, which is my wheelhouse and background, is the narcotics industry and the sex trafficking industry.”

The interview was conducted just days after the FBI allowed U.S. Representative John Rose (R-TN-06) to review the writings left by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who identified as a transgender man when she killed six at the Covenant School on March 27, 2023. Star News Digital Media Inc., which owns and operates The Star, and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy, have sued to compel the FBI to release Hale’s writings. After viewing the writings, Rose said there was “no good justification” to block their release.

Watch the full interview featuring Patel and Bongino:

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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Kash Patel and Dan Bongino” by Fox News.