Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana has asked the Trump administration to deploy as many as 1,000 National Guard troops in his state, embracing the president’s push to use troops to fight crime.
In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, the Republican governor asked for the troops from Louisiana to help with “ongoing public safety concerns regarding high crime rates.”
The Guard, Mr. Landry wrote, would “supplement law enforcement presence in high-crime areas, provide logistical and communication support and secure critical infrastructure.” He did not specify in his letter where exactly he wanted troops to be, but mentioned New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport as cities that have higher crime rates and a shortage of law enforcement personnel.
While crime has been decreasing overall nationally after a spike during the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump has continued to complain about the perception of violence, particularly in states and cities led by Democrats. But unlike New Orleans and most of the other cities he has singled out, Baton Rouge and Shreveport have Republican mayors.
Mr. Trump, speaking at a gathering of top military leaders on Tuesday, also suggested that “we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military.”
The Democratic governors of California, Illinois and Oregon have resisted Mr. Trump’s call to deploy the National Guard and other federal agencies in the cities in their states. On Sunday, the state of Oregon and its largest city, Portland, sued the president and members of his administration to block the use of Oregon National Guard troops against demonstrators.
Mr. Trump raised the possibility in early September of sending National Guard troops to New Orleans, but then turned his attention to Tennessee with an order creating a Memphis-focused federal task force. Employees of at least 13 federal agencies are now headed to the city this week with the approval of Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, as are National Guard troops.
“Who would not want help in combating criminals on your streets?” Mr. Landry asked in a Monday night interview with the Fox News host Sean Hannity. He added, “The president’s happy to send us the troops. And the troops are happy to come.”
Mr. Landry has made tackling crime, particularly in Democratic-led New Orleans, a focus of his first term in office. Last year, he established a special unit of state police in the city. National Guard troops have been deployed in the state before, but after major events, including hurricanes and the New Year’s Day terrorist attack on Bourbon Street this year.
In New Orleans, the city and its Police Department did not directly respond to Mr. Trump’s recent suggestion that National Guard troops could be sent there. Instead, they pointed to their ongoing work with federal and state leaders and the city’s recent reduction in crime. Several Democrats running to replace the term-limited mayor, LaToya Cantrell, did object.
Ms. Cantrell’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday, nor did the office of the mayor of Baton Rouge. A spokeswoman for the mayor of Shreveport declined to comment.
In a statement that noted recent strides in crime reduction, Wayne Smith, the police chief in Shreveport, said, “We will continue striving for improvement and will never turn down additional resources offered by our state or federal partners.”