The Trump administration is deploying 350 National Guard troops to New Orleans ahead of the New Year, launching another federal deployment in the city at the same time that an immigration crackdown led by Border Patrol is underway.
Department of War spokesman Sean Parnell said Tuesday that Guard members, as they have in other deployments in large cities, will be tasked with supporting federal law enforcement partners, including the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Parnell added that the National Guard troops will be deployed through February.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, praised President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for coordinating the deployment and predicted the Guard's presence would have a positive impact.
"It's going to help us further crack down on the violence here in the city of New Orleans and elsewhere around Louisiana," Landry said. "And so, a big shoutout to both of them."
Critics have argued a National Guard deployment is unwarranted and could cause fear in the community, and they noted that New Orleans has seen a decrease in violent crime rates.
The deployment of the National Guard to the Democrat-led city came as Border Patrol agents have been carrying out an immigration crackdown since the beginning of the month. According to DHS, agents have arrested several hundred people during the first couple weeks of what is expected to be a monthslong operation that has a goal of 5,000 arrests.
In September, Landry asked Trump to send a 1,000 federally funded troops to Louisiana cities, citing concerns about crime. Landry has praised Trump for sending troops to other cities, including Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tennessee.
New Orleans has been on pace for much of the year to have its lowest number of murders in decades, according to preliminary data from the city's police department. There have been 97 homicides in 2025 as of Nov. 1, including 14 who were killed on New Year's Day during a truck attack on Bourbon Street.
A U.S. Army veteran driving a pickup truck that bore the flag of the Islamic State group wrought carnage on New Orleans' raucous New Year's celebration as he steered around a police blockade and slammed into revelers before being shot dead by police. There were 124 homicides last year and 193 in 2023, according to city figures.
New Orleans is no stranger to having National Guard members in the city. In January, 100 Guard members were sent to the city to help with security measures following the New Year's Day truck attack. Guard members were also present for major events in the city this year, including the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.