New Orleans officials said a National Guard deployment authorized by President Donald Trump will start Tuesday, adding a visible security layer for New Year’s celebrations in the city’s French Quarter, roughly one year after a vehicle attack on Bourbon Street killed 14 people.
New Orleans police spokesperson Reese Harper said the Guard’s role is intended to be focused and non-overlapping with immigration enforcement. Harper said the Guard will not be engaging in immigration enforcement and described the deployment as “for visibility and just really to keep our citizens safe,” adding that it is “just another tool in the toolbox and another layer of security.”
Harper said the National Guard will be confined to the French Quarter area that is popular with tourists. He said Guardsmen would operate in a manner similar to earlier this year, when they patrolled around Bourbon Street following the Jan. 1 vehicle-ramming attack.
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 restore public trust. Collins said the 350 Guard members are expected to stay through Carnival season, as residents and tourists move through costumed celebrations and large parades before Mardi Gras in mid-February.
City officials said the expanded security operation will involve more than 800 law enforcement personnel from multiple levels of government. They said the plan includes closing off Bourbon Street to vehicular traffic, patrols in and around the area, bag searches, and traffic redirection.
The New Year’s mobilization also lands amid a separate federal effort in New Orleans. Harper said federal agents have been carrying out an immigration crackdown that has led to arrests of at least several hundred people since the start of the month, while he reiterated that the National Guard will not participate in that enforcement.
Support for the added security resources has come from some Democrats, city officials said. Mayor LaToya Cantrell said she is “welcoming of those added resources,” according to a news conference Monday.
The deployment follows last year’s attack on New Year’s Day, when Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove around a police blockade and raced down Bourbon Street, plowing into people celebrating. Officials said the attacker—described by police as a U.S. citizen and Army veteran who had proclaimed support for the Islamic State militant group on social media—was fatally shot by police after the crash.
After an expansive search in the immediate aftermath, officials said law enforcement located multiple bombs in coolers placed around the French Quarter, though none of the explosive devices detonated. In the days after the attack, officials said 100 National Guard members were sent to the city.
In September, Gov. Jeff Landry asked President Donald Trump to send 1,000 troops to Louisiana cities, citing concerns about crime. Democrats pushed back, including leaders in New Orleans who argued a National Guard deployment was unwarranted, noting what they said were decreases in violent crime rates in recent years.