Gov. Jeff Landry has requested the Trump administration to deploy as many as 1,000 National Guard of the United States troops in several Louisiana cities to assist with crime-fighting efforts.
The governor’s letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that the deployment of the troops would “supplement law enforcement presence in high-crime areas, provide logistical and communication support and secure critical infrastructure.”
While the precise locations where the National Guard would be stationed were not included in Landry’s released communications with the Pentagon, he has mentioned elsewhere that New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport could be potential sites.
The official proposal came together less than a month after President Donald Trump publicly suggested deploying troops in New Orleans.
New Orleans is currently experiencing one of its lowest crime rates since the 1970s, after a spike during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, Trump has continued to focus on crime as a major problem in New Orleans and other Democrat-led cities since taking office again.
Unlike New Orleans and the other U.S. cities where the Trump administration has previously sent troops, Baton Rouge and Shreveport have Republican mayors.
Landry’s request comes at the same time as the state of Oregon sues the Trump administration to block the “patently unlawful” deployment of troops in Portland, its largest city.