ACLU and ACLU of Louisiana Condemn Gov. Landry's Request to Defense Department to Deploy 1,000 State National Guard Troops into Communities

Militarization of Cities is Gross Abuse of Power and Dangerous Political Theater

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 30, 2025

CONTACT:

Jesse Vad, ACLU of Louisiana, [email protected]

Emily Berkowitz, ACLU, [email protected]

NEW ORLEANS – The American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Louisiana today condemned Gov. Jeff Landry's request to the Secretary of Defense for up to 1,000 Louisiana National Guard troops to be activated and deployed “throughout the state to urban areas,” calling it a gross abuse of power that would endanger communities and waste critical resources. In making the request, the governor asserted crime as his justification, despite the fact that military troops are not trained in civilian policing and that their presence undermines efforts to advance safety with evidence-based solutions.

“The National Guard is supposed to protect our state during real emergencies, not to serve as political props,” said Alanah Odoms, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana. “Flooding the cities we love with military troops is dangerous and would make people afraid to go about their daily lives. Safe communities are built by investing in our communities. Instead, Gov. Landry and President Trump are gutting essential programs that keep us safe, seeking to deploy troops into our streets, and allowing armed and masked federal agents who are untrained in community policing to terrorize our communities.”

Louisiana faces real threats during hurricane season that require National Guard resources and expertise. Troops should have no role in policing our streets and deploying 1,000 members of the Louisiana National Guard as political currency would mean that our communities are at risk of not getting the support they need in genuine emergencies, like natural disasters. The ACLU of Louisiana calls on Gov. Landry to immediately withdraw his request and focus state resources on genuine public safety needs, not political grandstanding that puts Louisiana communities at risk.”

Gov. Landry’s request comes as the Trump administration has deployed armed federal agents and National Guard troops to Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Memphis, and Portland. The federal government has also cut millions in grants for proven strategies to reduce crime and improve safety.

“When military troops police civilians, we have an intolerable threat to individual liberty and the foundational values of this country,” said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project. “If the Trump administration agrees to this request, it will sow fear and division in yet another American city, jeopardize the fundamental rights of residents, and place troops at legal and ethical risk. We cannot allow military policing of our communities to become normalized.”