Dec. 3 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said the National Guard will be deployed to New Orleans "pretty soon," making The Big Easy the next U.S. city to see a surge in military operations.
The Trump administration has deployed the National Guard to Democrat-run cities including Los Angeles, Calif., Memphis, Tenn., Washington, D.C., and has sought to deploy troops to other cities, including Chicago, Ill., and Portland, Ore., though those efforts were blocked by the courts.
The administration says the deployments are part of a public safety and security campaign aimed at curbing crime and protecting federal agents and facilities while assisting local law enforcement during protests against Trump's immigration policies.
Critics, opponents and Democrats have lambasted the effort as an unconstitutional militarization of U.S. cities that they say instills fear in residents, undermines public safety and chill protests and free speech.
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