President Trump authorized a National Guard deployment to New Orleans beginning Tuesday to bolster security for New Year’s events, one year after the Bourbon Street vehicle attack that killed 14 people. About 350 Guardsmen will be confined to the French Quarter and remain through Carnival season, working alongside more than 800 local, state and federal officers. Officials stress the Guard will not take part in immigration enforcement and say the deployment is intended to enhance public safety during large crowds and celebrations.
National Guard Deployed To Secure New Orleans New Year’s Events A Year After Deadly Bourbon Street Attack
FILE - Spc. Nelson Harrison, of the Louisiana National Guard, stands guard on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A National Guard deployment authorized by President Donald Trump will begin Tuesday in New Orleans as part of an expanded security plan for New Year’s celebrations, officials said Monday. The move comes one year after a vehicle attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people and prompted an intensive law enforcement response.
The deployment follows similar high-profile National Guard missions this year in other cities, including Washington and Memphis, but Guardsmen have long been a familiar presence in New Orleans. Earlier this year they helped bolster security for the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras.
New Orleans police spokesperson Reese Harper said the Guard’s role will be largely visible and supportive. “It’s no different than what we’ve seen in the past,” Harper said, emphasizing that Guardsmen will not participate in immigration enforcement.
Federal immigration agents have been conducting a separate operation in the city since the start of the month, which officials say has led to several hundred arrests. Harper reiterated that National Guard personnel will not be involved in those actions.
An opened gate is seen at the Bourbon Street corner in New Orleans on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, the site of a Jan. 1, 2025, fatal vehicle ramming attack which led the city to bolster its safety measures in the area. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
City officials said the Guard will be confined to the French Quarter, the tourist-heavy neighborhood centered on Bourbon Street. Guardsmen are expected to carry out duties similar to those they performed after the Jan. 1 attack, assisting local, state and federal law enforcement with visible patrols, traffic control and public-safety presence.
The deployment will include about 350 National Guard members who are expected to remain through Carnival season and into mid-February for Mardi Gras. In all, officials said more than 800 local, state and federal law enforcement officers will be deployed to close Bourbon Street to vehicular traffic, patrol the area, conduct bag checks and redirect pedestrians and vehicles as needed.
Louisiana National Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Noel Collins said in a written statement that Guard personnel will support law enforcement “to enhance capabilities, stabilize the environment, assist in reducing crime, and restoring public trust.” Mayor LaToya Cantrell, among other Democrats, welcomed the additional resources.
The stepped-up security marks the anniversary of the Jan. 1 vehicle attack on Bourbon Street. Authorities said the driver bypassed a police blockade in the early hours, struck revelers and was fatally shot by police after the crash. In the aftermath, law enforcement discovered multiple explosive devices stored in coolers around the French Quarter; none detonated. Following that incident, 100 Guard members were initially sent to the city.
In September, Gov. Jeff Landry asked the White House to send 1,000 troops to cities across Louisiana, citing concerns about crime. Some New Orleans leaders and other Democrats opposed a broader deployment, pointing to sustained declines in violent crime in recent years and arguing a large military presence was unnecessary.
What Officials Say: The Guard’s mission is portrayed by authorities as a preventive, visible-security measure focused on public safety during major events — not immigration enforcement.
