Trump administration proposes deploying 1,000 troops for Louisiana policing mission

The Trump administration has drafted a plan to activate 1,000 Louisiana National Guard troops to support law enforcement in the state’s urban centers, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, according to Pentagon planning documents. 

An unsigned, undated draft memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem describes the plan as providing a “unique advantage” by allowing the military to supplement law enforcement efforts if requested by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican who has expressed support for the idea. It is unclear whether Landry has formally made such a request or if the proposal has received approval at federal or state levels, The Washington Post writes. 

President Donald Trump mentioned the deployment during a Fox News appearance, saying, “New Orleans is in really bad shape, and the governor wants us to go in,” and claiming, “I can fix that up in a week and a half.” He also announced a plan to mobilize National Guard personnel for a similar mission in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Pentagon’s plan calls for the Louisiana deployment to last until September 30, 2026, far longer than the president’s suggested timeline. The documents reveal a strategy for Guard troops to “supplement” law enforcement in high-crime neighborhoods, assist with drug interdiction, and provide logistical and communications support, with “clear rules of engagement and community outreach protocols.”

The deployment would use Title 32 authority, which keeps National Guard troops under state control but funds the mission federally, thus allowing military support for law enforcement without violating the Posse Comitatus Act. The memo references Title 32 as permitting law enforcement support without breaking the law.

The Trump administration recently used Title 32 to deploy roughly 2,300 National Guard troops from several Republican-led states to Washington, D.C., where military personnel have supported police while also participating in non-law enforcement tasks like city beautification. However, military officials clarified that the troops in D.C. are not authorized to make arrests. It remains unclear if the Louisiana troops would have arrest authority.

Experts have criticized the Louisiana plan as highly irregular, noting that no formal request from Governor Landry has been received. Retired Army general Randy Manner called it “absolutely nothing more than a political grab of power” by Trump, adding, “The governor is supposed to request this, not the president or the secretary of defense.”

A former senior defense official suggested that political considerations are driving the search for states willing to accept troops in Democratic-led cities, given resistance from Democratic governors in states like California and Illinois.

Some Louisiana Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, support the deployment. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a potential presidential candidate, challenged them over crime rates, suggesting that Trump should send troops to those states instead.

New Orleans has seen a significant decline in crime this year, with its murder rate falling to lows not seen since the 1970s. Baton Rouge’s crime data is more mixed, with fewer homicides but rising robberies and assaults. Memphis has also reported reductions in violent crime.

If implemented, the Louisiana mission would engage about 11% of the state’s National Guard, which Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux said would not impair the state’s emergency response capabilities.

Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, warned of potential negative consequences, saying, “The men and women of our National Guard signed up to defend their communities and defend their country in genuine emergencies, and the Trump administration is fabricating emergencies in ways that are dangerous to the relationship between American society and our military. It’s destructive to businesses who employ Guardsmen. It’s disruptive to single parents. It’s destructive to the Guardsmen’s own professional development to be called up potentially for a year at a time.”

By Sabina Mammadli