Memphis City Council approved a resolution Tuesday, October 20, calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel and the National Guard to leave the city.

The measure emerged from a tense, heavily attended council meeting and followed continued debate about federal and state law-enforcement operations in Memphis.

The resolution is nonbinding. It expresses the position of council members but does not legally require federal agents or National Guard personnel to withdraw.

The resolution passed with nine council members voting in favor and one abstaining, according to published accounts of the meeting.

Council members Yolanda Cooper-Sutton and Michalyn Easter-Thomas brought the measure forward.

The proposal followed public scrutiny of immigration enforcement and the Memphis Safe Task Force.

Supporters of the resolution argue that the presence of outside enforcement personnel has raised concerns about accountability, local authority, and treatment of residents.

Others have supported the task force or wider enforcement operations as a response to serious public-safety problems.

The council's vote should not be confused with an operational order to agencies that answer to state or federal authorities.

The practical presence of the Guard or ICE will depend on decisions by those agencies and other officials.

It is also separate from the council's data center decisions, which were debated at the same October 20 meeting.

What should residents watch? Statements from state and federal agencies, any changes in deployment, and how the city manages its working relationship with outside law enforcement.

The council may continue to discuss questions of public safety, civil liberties, and local oversight at future meetings.

The debate reflects strongly held views about how Memphis should address crime and immigration enforcement while maintaining public trust.

For now, the confirmed action is a nonbinding council resolution, not a confirmed withdrawal.