Trump Says National Guard Will Deploy to New Orleans at Governor’s Request

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said he expected the National Guard troops to arrive before Christmas.

Members of the Louisiana National Guard patrol the grounds of the Washington Monument at the National Mall, Sept. 7, 2025, in Washington. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File

National Guard troops will soon be deployed to New Orleans to assist local law enforcement at the request of Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, President Donald Trump said on Dec. 2.

“Gov. Landry—a great guy, a great governor—he’s asked for help in New Orleans. And we’re going to go there in a couple of weeks,” Trump said during his final Cabinet meeting of the year at the White House.

Trump did not specify how many troops would be sent or the exact date of their arrival. Landry, who in September asked the administration for up to 1,000 Guard members to help combat crime, told reporters on Dec. 1 that he expects them to arrive before Christmas.

While speaking at an event commemorating victims of the Jan. 1 Bourbon Street terror attack, Landry said he had recently spoken with the president, who personally reaffirmed the commitment.

“He said, ‘Don’t worry, Jeff, we’ll have them there in two weeks,'” Landry recalled.

In September, Landry formally requested a federally funded National Guard mission through the end of fiscal year 2026. In a letter to War Secretary Pete Hegseth, he said there have been “elevated violent crime rates” in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport, along with “critical” manpower shortages in local law enforcement agencies. He added that Louisiana’s vulnerability to natural disasters, particularly hurricanes, further stretches available resources thin.

The extra support would be especially help during major events, Landry said, including college football bowl games and Mardi Gras, New Orleans’s signature carnival. Mardi Gras falls on Feb. 17 in 2026, though festivities begin on Jan. 6.

Landry’s request was made just weeks after Trump suggested that New Orleans could be among the next cities to receive federal security assistance. In recent months, federalized National Guard units have already been sent to Los Angeles, Memphis, Baltimore, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.

The planned deployment has received mixed responses from New Orleans city officials. Several city council members have voiced their individual opposition, but outgoing Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the New Orleans Police Department maintained that the city was open to cooperating with federal authorities to improve public safety.

“Our federal and state partnerships have played a significant role in ensuring public safety, particularly during special events for a world-class city,” a joint statement from the mayor’s office and the police department read. “The City of New Orleans and NOPD remain committed to sustaining this momentum, ensuring that every neighborhood continues to feel the impact of these combined efforts.”

Mayor-elect Helena Moreno, a Democrat who will take office in January 2026, has rejected the idea of deploying the National Guard in the city. She accused the Trump administration of “politicizing public safety” by targeting Democratic-led cities while overlooking others with what she called “severe” crime problems.

“Ultimately [this is] leading to the misuse of public funds and resources to score political points,” Moreno said in a statement.

Separately, New Orleans is receiving a surge in federal immigration enforcement. A Border Patrol–led operation is expected to be overseen by Customs and Border Protection Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino, who previously led similar operations in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Charlotte, North Carolina.