National Guard to leave New Orleans at end of month
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
National Guard troops are staffing security checkpoints in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras. Photo: Carlie Kollath Wells/Axios
The National Guard will leave New Orleans at the end of February after a roughly two-month deployment, officials confirmed Tuesday.
Why it matters: President Trump is using the deployment to claim credit for falling crime rates, while local officials say those gains predate the federal presence.
The big picture: About 350 soldiers will be patrolling through Mardi Gras, primarily in the enhanced security zone in the French Quarter, said Major Gen. Thomas Friloux with the Louisiana National Guard.
- The troops arrived in late December as part of what officials called a surge of law enforcement.
- Border Patrol was also sent to the city for federal immigration enforcement, but that operation appears to have wound down as agents left for Minneapolis.
Yes, but: The federal involvement will not end in New Orleans.
- U.S. attorney David Courcelle, state Attorney General Liz Murrill and other authorities announced a new joint task force Tuesday called Operation NOLA Safe to combat violent crime, particularly cartels and the trafficking of drugs, guns and people.
- Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI co-lead the task force, with NOPD, State Police, ATF, DEA, National Guard and others partnering.
- They started the New Orleans operation last month, and it will be here "for the long haul," says Matt Wright, the acting special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in the region.
The friction point: President Trump, in an Oval Office briefing last month, cited the National Guard deployment as the reason for the city's improved crime statistics.
- However, Mayor Helena Moreno says she attributes the crime reduction to NOPD's efforts over the past two years.
The fine print: Wright said the task force will have an immigration component in terms of criminal activities related to cartels.
- "But as far as general immigration enforcement, that's not the focus of the Homeland Security task force," Wright said.
Meanwhile, Murrill announced a separate multi-agency task force Tuesday that will focus on preventing child exploitation in the metro area.
What's next: Expect to see a large law enforcement presence through Mardi Gras.
- Bourbon Street will be closed to vehicles with National Guard soldiers staffing barricades and doing bag checks.
- Go deeper for more security updates.