JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – During a press briefing on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt brought up the City of Jackson when discussing crime.

The Trump administration has said they’re working to crack down on crime in cities across the United States. President Donald Trump has threatened to send National Guard troops into more American cities after deploying soldiers in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles this year. 

Gov. Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) approved sending 200 Mississippi National Guard soldiers to Washington, D.C., in order “to support President Trump’s effort to return law and order to our nation’s capital.”

Democrats have argued that red states see the highest crime rates, but Republicans countered that the problems are in cities run by Democrats.

A reporter asked Leavitt on Tuesday about crime in the red states, and the press secretary used Jackson, Mississippi, as an example.

“If you look at a red state, Mississippi, but a Democrat-run city in that state, Jackson. And in 2019, Jackson, Mississippi, eliminated cash bail for virtually all misdemeanor cases. And while Jackson is not formally a sanctuary city, the state of Mississippi formally banned sanctuary cities, and this city has acted as a de facto sanctuary city for criminals and illegal aliens since 2017,” Leavitt stated.

Jackson Mayor John Horhn responded to the statements made during the White House press briefing.

“Jackson is committed to protecting the rights and privileges of every resident. I look forward to hearing from President Trump on how he can support our city’s revitalization through federal resources,” said Horhn.

On Friday, President Trump announced that he will soon be sending the National Guard to New Orleans after previously teasing that he would be targeting the city in his next federal crime crackdown.

Below are the 10 big cities with the highest rate of crime per 100,000 people, based on FBI data from 2024 on murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault:

• Memphis – Memphis, the second-biggest city in the red state of Tennessee, tops the list with 2,501 violent crimes per 100,000 people, according to data from the FBI.
• Detroit – Detroit closely trails Memphis with a violent crime rate of 1,781 per 100,00 and a rate of 31.2 homicides per 100,000 residents.
• Baltimore – Baltimore had 1,606 violent crimes and 34.8 homicides per 100,000 people last year.
• Kansas City – Kansas City, Mo., saw 1,547 violent offenses per 100,000 people in 2024. Last year, the city saw a 12 percent increase in nonfatal shootings and tallied 144 homicide cases.
• Milwaukee – The city of Milwaukee had 1,431 violent crimes per 100,000.
• Albuquerque – The FBI reported that 1,182 violent crimes occurred per 100,000 residents in Albuquerque, the largest city in the blue state of New Mexico.
• Houston – Houston saw 1,148 crimes per 100,000 people last year, and violent crime in the red state of Texas’s largest city increased by about 4.5 percent from 2023 to 2024, Fox 26 reported.
• Nashville – Tennessee’s capital and its largest city, Nashville reported 1,124 violent crimes per 100,000 people; local police face a shortage of 100 officers, and leaders have struggled to increase staffing, the Nashville Banner reported.
• Denver – Denver saw 993 violent crimes per 100,000 people, according the FBI.
• Washington, D.C. – Violent crime was recorded at 926 per 100,000 in the nation’s capital, which is governed by Mayor Muriel Bowser (D). Officials said violent crime is down by 27 percent and at a 30-year low after reaching all-time highs during the pandemic.

The Hill contributed to this report.