The Trump administration will deploy 350 National Guard troops to New Orleans before the new year, launching another federal deployment in the city as a Border Patrol-led immigration crackdown gets underway.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Tuesday that, as in other deployments to large cities, Guard members will be responsible for supporting federal law enforcement partners, including the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. Parnell added that National Guard troops would be deployed in February.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, praised President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegers for coordinating the deployment and predicted the Guard’s presence would have a positive impact.
“This will help us further combat violence in the city of New Orleans and elsewhere around Louisiana,” Landry said during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Will Caine Show.” “So a shout out to both of them.”
Critics say the deployment of the National Guard is unwarranted and could stoke fear in communities, noting that New Orleans’ violent crime rate has actually declined.
The deployment of National Guard troops to Democratic-led cities comes as Border Patrol agents have been conducting an immigration crackdown since early this month. Agents arrested hundreds of people in the first few weeks and the operation is expected to last several months, with the goal of arresting 5,000 people, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Back in September, Landry asked Trump to send 1,000 federally funded troops to Louisiana cities, citing crime concerns. Landry praised Trump for sending troops to other cities, including Washington and Memphis, Tennessee.
The president was also interested in Landry. Trump announced on Sunday that he would appoint the governor-general as special envoy to Greenland, Denmark’s strategic, vast, semi-autonomous territory that Trump said the United States needed to take over.
The number of murders in New Orleans has been at its lowest level in decades for much of this year, according to preliminary data from the New Orleans Police Department. As of November 1, there have been 97 homicides in 2025, including 14 revelers killed in a New Year’s Day truck attack on Bourbon Street.
A U.S. veteran driving a pickup truck flying an Islamic State flag caused carnage during raucous New Year’s celebrations in New Orleans, bypassing a police cordon and plowing into revelers before being shot dead by police.
There were 124 homicides last year and 193 will occur in 2023, according to the city. Armed robberies, aggravated assaults, carjackings, shootings and property crimes also trended downward.
New Orleans is no stranger to having National Guard members in the city. In January, 100 Guardsmen were sent to the city to assist with security measures following the New Year’s Day truck attack. Guard members also attended major events in the city this year, including the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras.
___ Associated Press reporter Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report.
