For the second time in 2025, troops with the Louisiana Army National Guard (LANG) are being deployed to New Orleans. The first, and limited, deployment, took place in the immediate aftermath of the New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans. Military Police conducted security support operations from January 1-3, 2025, with Louisiana State Police in the French Quarter, with LANG MP’s on site within six hours.
In this latest, and far larger deployment, LANG leadership does not identify specific locations where they will deploy various troops in Louisiana. But locations including New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport have all been mentioned.
This means that New Orleans is now the setting for two current federal deployments. The first one got underway December 3, 2025, the immigration crackdown, which will be mentioned later in this report. But first, the Trump administration has authorized the deployment of 350 Louisiana National Guard members to the New Orleans metro area. As Louisiana Radio Network Radio reports, they’ll provide extra security for major upcoming events.
Governor Jeff Landry had asked Pres. Trump in September to send one thousand federally-funded guard members to the state of Louisiana to assist local law enforcement in fighting crime. Critics to this specific ‘guard deployment request,’ by the governor, keep asking one question: where is this overwhelming crime in New Orleans and elsewhere that justifies or even explains the urgency necessary to call in the national guard? Even more confounding for some is the fact that New Orleans has seen a double-digit drop in the crime rate in 2025, alone, and even more in recent years. That’s according the latest figures provided by police. Graphics provided by the nonprofit Metropolitan Crime Commission (MCC) illustrate the overall decline of homicides, shootings, carjackings, and armed robberies in Orleans Parish, La. From 2019 to 2025.
However, when it comes to big events and security, that’s an entirely different issue than security sweeps or an immigration crackdown. Case in point: New Orleans city officials have joined in the requests for a heavier federal presence during New Year’s celebrations, along with the Sugar Bowl and Mardi Gras to assist local law enforcement. Local leaders pointed to the New Year’s Day terror attack of last year for one, and an alleged terrorist plot that authorities say was recently thwarted, as prime examples of why a heavier footprint of federal law enforcement is necessary.
The U.S. Department of Defense, [referred to as The Department of War in the statement - which would require congressional approval] said in a statement that the guard members — some of whom are coming from Washington, D,C., are federally funded, but under the command of state leadership (i.e., Gov. Landry).
Meanwhile, the first federal deployment, briefly mentioned above and still currently underway, was launched by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in early December and is known as the “Catahoula Crunch.” The two-month long immigration enforcement operation specifically targets, among other things, what DHS classifies as “undocumented aliens” with violent crime arrests. The agency announced that these are suspects who had been released by police departments.
Governor Jeff Landry (R-La.) referred to those arrested in the operation the “worst of the worst.” This operation includes more than 250 agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). According to news releases from Homeland Security, agents have made roughly 370 arrests during Operation Catahoula Crunch.” Plans reviewed by the Associated Press in November had suggested an initial goal of 5,000 arrests
