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Donald Trump’s administration has drafted a proposal to deploy 1,000 Louisiana national guard troops to conduct law enforcement operations in the state’s urban centers, the Washington Post reported Saturday, citing military planning documents it had obtained.
Trump has made crime a major focus of his administration even as violent crime rates have fallen in many US cities. His crackdown on Democratic-led municipalities has fueled legal concerns and spurred protests, including a recent demonstration by several thousand people in Washington DC.
Democratic leaders have said that the massive deployments are more a show of power by Trump rather than a serious effort to fight crime.
More than a dozen residents of Shreveport, Louisiana, told Reuters they viewed any deployment as more of a political stunt than a meaningful crime-fighting solution – and a way for Trump to blunt criticism that he’s only targeting Democratic-controlled states.
Louisiana’s governor, Jeff Landry, is Republican. The mayors of Shreveport and Baton Rouge, two of Louisiana’s most prominent cities, are Republicans. But the mayor of New Orleans, the state’s best-known city, is a Democrat.
A Pentagon spokesperson did not comment in detail on the documents. A spokesperson said: “Leaked documents should not be interpreted as policy. We will not discuss these plans through leaked documents, pre-decisional or otherwise.”
The planning documents, according to the Post, state that the plan would allow the military to supplement law enforcement in cities such as New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Both cities have majority Black populations.
The Pentagon’s plan outlines a mobilization lasting until 30 September 2026, though no start date was specified.
Among the documents is an unsigned, undated draft memo from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth to US attorney general Pam Bondi and homeland security secretary Kristi Noem, which highlights the “unique advantage” of the military’s proposed approach to law enforcement in Louisiana, according to the Post.
Hinging on a request for troop deployment from Landry, who is a staunch Trump supporter, the proposal has not been confirmed as approved by federal or state officials, according to the Post’s reporting. The Pentagon’s Louisiana plan suggests a robust operation is under consideration, with national guard personnel “supplementing” the law enforcement presence in high-crime neighborhoods. They could also help with drug interdiction and by providing “logistical and communications support” to local authorities, the Washington Post reported.
On Friday, Trump said he would send national guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee.
