The Trump administration is deploying 350 National Guard troops to New Orleans before the New Year, kicking off a new federal deployment to the city just as a Border Patrol immigration crackdown is underway.
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Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Tuesday that Guard members, as in other deployments to major cities, will be tasked with supporting federal law enforcement, including the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Parnell added that National Guard troops will be deployed until the end of February.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, praised President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for coordinating the deployment and predicted the Guard’s presence would have a positive impact.
“This will help us fight more effectively against violence here in New Orleans and elsewhere in Louisiana,” Mr. Landry said during his appearance on the show. The Will Cain Show on Fox News.
“A big thank you to both of them,” he added.
Critics say the deployment of the National Guard is unjustified and could sow fear among the population. They also point out that New Orleans has actually seen a decline in violent crime rates.
This deployment of the National Guard in this Democratic-led city comes as border police agents have been carrying out a crackdown on illegal immigration since the beginning of the month. According to the Department of Homeland Security, agents arrested several hundred people during the first two weeks of this operation, which is expected to last several months and aims to make 5,000 arrests.
Last September, Mr. Landry asked Donald Trump to send 1,000 federally funded troops to Louisiana cities, citing concerns about crime. Mr. Landry praised Mr. Trump’s sending of troops to other cities, including Washington and Memphis, Tennessee.
The president also seems to like Mr. Landry. Donald Trump announced on Sunday the appointment of the governor as his special envoy to Greenland, a vast strategic and semi-autonomous Danish territory that the president considers necessary for the United States to annex.
New Orleans is expected to record its lowest number of homicides in decades, according to preliminary data from the city police. At 1er November, there were 97 homicides in 2025, including 14 victims among revelers killed on New Year’s Day during a ram truck attack on Bourbon Street.
A US Army veteran, driving a pickup truck flying the Islamic State flag, spread terror during New Year’s festivities in New Orleans. He forced a police barrier and rushed into the crowd before being shot dead by the police.
There were 124 homicides last year and 193 in 2023, according to municipal statistics. Armed robberies, serious assaults, violent carjackings, shootings and property crimes are also down.
New Orleans is accustomed to the presence of the National Guard. In January, around 100 National Guardsmen were deployed to the city to step up security following the New Year’s Day truck attack. They were also present at this year’s major events, including the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras.
