NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — A National Guard deployment in New Orleans authorized by President Donald Trump will begin Tuesday as part of a heavy security presence for New Year’s celebrations a year after an attack on revelers on Bourbon Street killed 14 people, officials said Monday.
The deployment in New Orleans follows high-profile National Guard missions the Trump administration launched in other cities this year, including in Washington and Memphis, Tennessee. But the sight of National Guard troops is not unusual in New Orleans, where troops earlier this year also helped bolster security for the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras.
“It’s no different than what we’ve seen in the past,” New Orleans police spokesperson Reese Harper said.
The Guard is not the only federal law enforcement agency in the city. Since the start of the month, federal agents have been carrying out an immigration crackdown that has led to the arrest of at least several hundred people.
Harper stressed that the National Guard will not be engaging in immigration enforcement.
"This is for visibility and just really to keep our citizens safe," Harper said. "It’s just another tool in the toolbox and another layer of security.”
The Guard is expected be confined to the French Quarter area popular with tourists and won't be engaging in assisting in immigration enforcement, Harper said. Guardsmen will operate similar to earlier this year when they patrolled the area around Bourbon Street following the vehicle-ramming attack on Jan. 1.
The 350 Guard members will stay through Carnival season, when residents and tourists descend on the Big Easy to partake in costumed celebrations and massive parades before ending with Mardi Gras in mid-February.
Louisiana National Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Noel Collins said in a written statement that the Guard will support local, state, and federal law enforcement “to enhance capabilities, stabilize the environment, assist in reducing crime, and restoring public trust.”
In total, more than 800 local, state and federal law enforcement officials will be deployed in New Orleans to close off Bourbon Street to vehicular traffic, patrol the area, conduct bag searches and redirect traffic, city officials said during a news conference Monday.
The extra aid for New Orleans has received the support of some Democrats, with Mayor LaToya Cantrell saying she is "welcoming of those added resources.”
The increased law enforcement presence comes a year after Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove around a police blockade in the early hours of Jan. 1 and raced down Bourbon Street, plowing into people celebrating New Year's Day. The attacker, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran who had proclaimed his support for the Islamic State militant group on social media, was fatally shot by police after crashing. After an expansive search, law enforcement located multiple bombs in coolers placed around the French Quarter. None of the explosive devices detonated.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, 100 National Guard members were sent to the city.
In September, Gov. Jeff Landry asked Trump to send 1,000 troops to Louisiana cities, citing concerns about crime. Democrats pushed back, specifically leaders in New Orleans who said a deployment was unwarranted. They argued that the city has actually seen a dramatic decrease in violent crime rates in recent years.
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Cline reported from Baton Rouge.
An opened gate is seen at the Bourbon Street corner in New Orleans on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, the site of a Jan. 1, 2025, fatal vehicle ramming attack which led the city to bolster its safety measures in the area. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)
FILE - Spc. Nelson Harrison, of the Louisiana National Guard, stands guard on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
Kevin Stefanski's thoughts are on to Cincinnati and not on what might happen after the Cleveland Browns season finale.
Stefanski's future continues to be one of the central topics in the midst of another disappointing season. However, the Browns haven't looked like a team that is playing out the rest of the season over the past couple of weeks.
Cleveland prevented Pittsburgh from wrapping up the AFC North with a 13-6 victory on Sunday. That came one week after a 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Sunday's win was Cleveland's fourth of the season, and the team surpassed its victory total from 2024. If the Browns can post consecutive wins for the first time since 2023, that would bolster Stefanski's chances for a seventh season in Cleveland.
If owner Jimmy Haslam decides to move on from Stefanski though, he would be a top candidate elsewhere. Stefanski would not answer if he has had discussions about his future.
“I understand the question. I never get into those types of discussions. All I care about is finding a way to go 1-0 versus the Bengals," he said, “As you can imagine, my sole focus is on this game versus Cincinnati, but I also would tell you I’m privileged to have this job.”
Shedeur Sanders improved to 2-4 as a starting quarterback despite struggling in the second half. Sanders has shown improved footwork and decision-making while playing behind a makeshift offensive line. Sanders went into the game without his leading running back after Quinshon Judkins suffered a broken leg against the Bills. His leading receiver, tight end Harold Fannin Jr., played only two series after aggravating a groin injury.
While some Browns fans might have lamented the win because it dropped Cleveland a couple of spots down in the draft order, Myles Garrett made it abundantly clear that no one in the locker room signed up to lose.
“I don’t care what the situation is with the record. Not a single one of us want to line up and lay down to a team or a man that’s in front of us," he said. "No, we got put here in this place or selected, whatever it was — drafted to come here and win. Has it always been that way? No, but I’ll be damned if I’m just going to go out there and lay down to another team just because we want some more draft picks. That’s not me.”
The defense didn't allow a touchdown for the second game this season and the fifth time since Jim Schwartz became defensive coordinator in 2023. It is the fifth time since the Browns returned in 1999 that they haven't given up a touchdown in at least two games in a season.
Getting the offense out of its second-half rut. The Browns are averaging 120.7 yards after halftime in Shedeur Sanders' six starts, the fifth-lowest average in the league and nearly 40 yards lower than the 159.8-yard average in the first half. Opponents are also outscoring the Browns 60-38 in the third and fourth quarters the past six weeks.
CB Tyson Campbell was targeted seven times and allowed three receptions for only 17 yards. Campbell forced a tight passing window on four of the targets and had two passes defensed.
S Rayshawn Jenkins was called for taunting after the Browns got a third down stop on the Steelers second series. The drive continued because of the penalty and Chris Boswell's first field goal got the Steelers within 10-3.
Guards Wyatt Teller (calf) and Tevin Jenkins (concussion) also left Sunday's game.
22: Sacks this season for Garrett
1: Sacks needed by Garrett to pass Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt for the single-season record. Cincinnati's Joe Burrow is Garrett's most-sacked quarterback.
6: Touchdown catches by Fannin, the most by a Browns rookie since Andre Davis also had six in 2002.
12: Consecutive field goals by Andre Szmyt.
The Browns wrap up the regular season at Cincinnati against a Bengals squad that has outscored their opponents 82-35 the past two games. Cincinnati won the Week 1 matchup 17-16 and has a four-game winning streak in the "Battle of Ohio."
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Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett reacts after a play during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski talks with quarterback Shedeur Sanders, left, during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
