NEW ORLEANS – In the wake of a tragic attack on Bourbon Street that took 14 lives last year, President Donald Trump has approved the deployment of the National Guard to New Orleans. The troops will be on the ground starting Tuesday, enhancing security measures for the upcoming New Year’s festivities, officials announced on Monday.
This deployment is part of a series of high-profile National Guard missions authorized by the Trump administration throughout the year, which have also taken place in cities such as Washington and Memphis, Tennessee. For New Orleans, however, the presence of National Guard troops has become a familiar sight, as they have previously assisted in securing events like the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras earlier this year.
“It’s no different than what we’ve seen in the past,” stated Reese Harper, spokesperson for the New Orleans Police Department.
In addition to the National Guard, federal law enforcement agencies have been conducting an immigration crackdown in the city since the beginning of the month, resulting in the arrest of several hundred individuals.
Harper emphasized that the National Guard’s role is strictly limited to security and will not involve any immigration enforcement activities.
“Their presence is intended for visibility and to ensure the safety of our citizens,” Harper explained. “It’s simply another resource and an additional layer of protection.”
The Guard is expected be confined to the French Quarter area popular with tourists and won’t be engaging in assisting in immigration enforcement, Harper said. Guardsmen will operate similar to earlier this year when they patrolled the area around Bourbon Street following the vehicle-ramming attack on Jan. 1.
The 350 Guard members will stay through Carnival season, when residents and tourists descend on the Big Easy to partake in costumed celebrations and massive parades before ending with Mardi Gras in mid-February.
Louisiana National Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Noel Collins said in a written statement that the Guard will support local, state, and federal law enforcement “to enhance capabilities, stabilize the environment, assist in reducing crime, and restoring public trust.”
In total, more than 800 local, state and federal law enforcement officials will be deployed in New Orleans to close off Bourbon Street to vehicular traffic, patrol the area, conduct bag searches and redirect traffic, city officials said during a news conference Monday.
The extra aid for New Orleans has received the support of some Democrats, with Mayor LaToya Cantrell saying she is “welcoming of those added resources.”
The increased law enforcement presence comes a year after Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove around a police blockade in the early hours of Jan. 1 and raced down Bourbon Street, plowing into people celebrating New Year’s Day. The attacker, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran who had proclaimed his support for the Islamic State militant group on social media, was fatally shot by police after crashing. After an expansive search, law enforcement located multiple bombs in coolers placed around the French Quarter. None of the explosive devices detonated.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, 100 National Guard members were sent to the city.
In September, Gov. Jeff Landry asked Trump to send 1,000 troops to Louisiana cities, citing concerns about crime. Democrats pushed back, specifically leaders in New Orleans who said a deployment was unwarranted. They argued that the city has actually seen a dramatic decrease in violent crime rates in recent years.
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Cline reported from Baton Rouge.
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