LOUISIANA — No decision had been made Saturday on whether or how to deploy the National Guard to fight crime in Louisiana cities, state officials said, after draft Pentagon plans to deploy 1,000 troops in "urban centers" emerged in national media, according to The Advocate.
That draft plan called for deployments to multiple cities, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, to aid in law enforcement, if requested by Gov. Jeff Landry. However, state officials say those plans have not reached the state level.
According to The Advocate, an undated memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem proposes they keep the troops under Landry's control while funding the mobilization with federal dollars.
Though the documents do not specify when troops would arrive, they do say deployment would last until the end of September 2026, The Advocated reported.
The proposal follows similar deployments in other cities across the U.S., including Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
