National Guard troops patrol New Orleans a year after attack

A National Guard deployment in New Orleans authorized by President Trump began 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.

- BY SARA CLINE AND JACK BROOK

GUARDSMEN keep an eye on busy Bourbon Street in New Orleans in February.

(SANDY HUFFAKER Getty Images)

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, Tenn.

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.