About 120 Louisiana National Guard soldiers will continue patrolling New Orleans through August after the Department of Defense approved a six-month extension of the mission.
The Guard was originally set to finish its mission once Carnival season ended in late February. Instead, soldiers will remain on federal Title 32 orders in the French Quarter and surrounding neighborhoods as the city moves into a busy stretch of spring and summer tourism that includes French Quarter Festival, Jazz Fest and Super Sunday. The federal government will continue paying the tab, according to the announcement made Monday by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry.
New Orleans now joins Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tenn., as one of three cities where the Trump administration is maintaining armed National Guard soldiers in a domestic law enforcement support role.
Military.com reached out to the U.S. Army for comment.
The Deployment and New Extension
The Louisiana National Guard initially sent roughly 350 soldiers to New Orleans in late December 2025.
That deployment came in the wake of the Jan. 1, 2025, Bourbon Street terror attack that killed 14 people ahead of a security-heavy Carnival season. Armed soldiers carrying M4 rifles became a common sight at intersections and checkpoints across the French Quarter.
The remaining 120 soldiers represent a significant drawdown, but their mission is essentially the same. According to a Guard statement, the force will focus on "crime reduction, enhanced responsiveness, and maintaining a visible presence to deter criminal activity."
"Our Soldiers are proud to stand alongside our law enforcement partners in support of the people of Louisiana," said Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, the state's adjutant general. "From New Year's through the Carnival season, this mission showed what can be accomplished when agencies work together with a shared focus on public safety.
"We remain committed to those partnerships as we continue supporting efforts to keep the City of New Orleans safe for residents and visitors."
The Guard's own press release said law enforcement leaders acknowledged the troops as an important force multiplier that contributed to crime deterrence during one of the city's busiest stretches.
Mayor Helena Moreno, a Democrat who initially pushed back against the deployment, has since reversed course.
She said the presence of the federal coordination team, including the U.S. Coast Guard, FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, was "instrumental in guaranteeing a secure environment through the festivities." She praised the overall effort as "the gold standard for coordinated security efforts."
New Orleans Crime Trends and Costs
Data presented by NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick at a January press conference showed the city recorded 121 murders in 2025, down from 125 in 2024. Compared to 2022, when New Orleans led the nation in homicides, the murder rate has dropped 55%. Armed robberies fell 28% and carjackings declined 35%.
A separate NOPD report from May 2025 showed a 20% overall decrease in violent crime incidents through the first quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2024, citing data from the department's own analytics unit.
Trump referenced the New Orleans deployment during his State of the Union address last week, calling it a "big success" and citing crime reductions in cities where Guard troops have been stationed.
A January Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report estimated that National Guard deployments to U.S. cities cost approximately $496 million in 2025. The 350-soldier force in New Orleans cost roughly $6 million per month.
CBO found that deploying 1,000 Guard members to a city in 2026 would run between $18-$21 million monthly, depending on cost of living.
A spokesperson for Landry confirmed that the federal government would continue funding the New Orleans mission.
What's Ahead for the Louisiana National Guard
The Guard operates under Title 32 status, which means the soldiers are federally funded but remain under the command of the governor and the adjutant general.
Under that authority, Guard troops cannot arrest anyone, execute search warrants or perform the duties of sworn law enforcement officers. Their role is to stand post and provide a visible armed presence alongside local and state police.
The governor's office did not say whether Guard soldiers would also operate in other parts of the state during the six-month extension. However, Landry previously requested authorization from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to activate up to 1,000 Louisiana National Guard personnel to assist with public safety operations statewide, showing the New Orleans mission could be part of a larger effort.
The 120 soldiers will remain as a visible presence in the French Quarter as New Orleans heads into festival season, with their mission set to run through the end of August.
