In a move that has sparked both anticipation and debate, President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that National Guard troops will soon be dispatched to New Orleans. This decision comes as the city braces for an impending federal immigration operation, “Swamp Sweep,” set to launch this week.
While specifics regarding the number of troops and their exact arrival date remain undisclosed, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, has indicated that he anticipates their presence in New Orleans by Christmas. Landry had previously requested federal assistance in September, seeking up to 1,000 troops to help combat crime.
During a White House Cabinet meeting, Trump praised Governor Landry, describing him as “a great guy” and promised that federal support would be forthcoming “in a couple of weeks.” Landry, aligning himself closely with the Trump administration, has publicly welcomed this intervention, expressing concern over what he claims are high violent crime rates in the state, despite local police reports suggesting otherwise.
Moreover, Landry has taken to social media to express his approval of the “Swamp Sweep” initiative, a Border Patrol-led operation aiming to apprehend 5,000 individuals in the coming weeks. He stated, “We Welcome the Swamp Sweep in Louisiana,” signaling his support for the federal crackdown.
However, not everyone shares the governor’s enthusiasm. Critics argue that the deployment of federal troops or agents is unnecessary, pointing to data that suggests a decline in violent crime, particularly in New Orleans. The city is reportedly on track to experience its safest year since the 1970s.
Governor Landry, in his September request to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, highlighted concerns over “elevated violent crime rates” in several Louisiana cities, including Baton Rouge and Shreveport, alongside a noted shortage in law enforcement personnel. The debate continues as the state prepares for this significant federal intervention.
Landry also said the state’s vulnerability to natural disasters makes the issue more challenging, and the extra support would be especially helpful for major events, including Mardi Gras and college football bowl games.
Louisiana National Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Noel Collins declined to comment Tuesday.
In 2022, New Orleans had the dubious distinction of being considered the “murder capital of the country,” reporting the highest per-capita homicide rate in the nation. That year there were 266 murders — a rate of 70 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Three years later, however, shootings, carjackings and armed robberies have plummeted. While there has been a spike of homicides in recent weeks, the city is still on pace to have its lowest number in nearly 50 years, according to crime data from the police department. As of early November, the New Orleans Police Department reported 97 murders.
Mayor-elect Helena Moreno, a Democrat who takes office in January, has firmly rejected the idea of a National Guard deployment in the blue city and has expressed concern that a federal immigration enforcement surge will lead to rights violations. She did not provide comment on the impending deployment.
Outgoing Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat facing federal corruption charges, previously said the city was open to working with the federal government to improve public safety.
A spokesperson for Cantrell, Terry Davis, told the AP in a written statement that the city and its police “have a track record of working collaboratively” with the National Guard and state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Other New Orleans officials have warned that troops could disrupt unique cultural traditions, such as the frequent brass band parades in the streets that are known as second-lines or jeopardize hard-won relationships between communities and the police.
In January, 100 guard members were sent to the city to help with security measures following a New Year’s Day truck attack that killed 14 people and injured dozens of other revelers on Bourbon Street.
In September, Landry also suggested that federally funded National Guard troops should be sent to Baton Rouge and Shreveport, and Monday indicated troops would be sent to cities beyond New Orleans.
In Baton Rouge, the capital, Republican Mayor Sid Edwards said this month that extra assets could provide “much-needed boots on the ground” amid a police shortage.
Although homicides are on pace to decrease from the previous year there as well, the city has struggled with gun violence, with bystanders caught in crossfire made worse by the use of machine gun conversion devices. A recent multiagency initiative to crack down on violent crime resulted in more than 100 arrests and the seizure of guns.
In conservative Shreveport, the hometown of U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican Mayor Tom Arceneaux told The Associated Press in October that violent crime has significantly decreased. Arceneaux said he was willing to work with the National Guard but would prefer receiving state police officers instead.
Louisiana is the latest place where Trump has sent — or tried to send — National Guard troops in recent months. Other cities include Los Angeles, Baltimore, Washington and Memphis, Tennessee. Leaders in Democratic-controlled jurisdictions have turned to legal action to block planned deployments, such as in Chicago and Portland, Oregon.
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Cline reported from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Associated Press writer Michelle Price contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.
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