Landry Seeks 1,000 Title 32 Guard Troops

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has formally requested federal approval to activate up to 1,000 Louisiana National Guard members, submitting a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and announcing the move on Fox News' Sean Hannity. He asked that the deployment be federally funded under Title 32 and run through fiscal year 2026, with guardsmen slated to deploy to urban centers including Shreveport, Baton Rouge and New Orleans to supplement police in high‑crime areas, provide logistical and communications support, and secure critical infrastructure. Landry framed the request as part of a Trump‑backed model that follows Guard deployments to Washington and other cities, saying past missions coincided with large drops in crime, and he cited elevated violent crime rates, critical local law‑enforcement staffing shortages and hurricane‑related strains as reasons for the request. His office said rules on use of force and community outreach would guide the mission. Critics note that violent crime in New Orleans has fallen sharply and that elected officials in some Democratic‑run jurisdictions oppose similar federal troop deployments; the request remains pending federal approval, has intensified a national debate over the role of military forces in local public safety, and timing and specific deployment locations are still unclear.