President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard to help fight crime in American cities on August 11, 2025. This was a controversial decision, with many being very against it and others being in favor of it.

It started in Washington, D.C., with plans for more cities. Other cities mentioned by Trump included Baltimore, New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, and New Orleans.

Most of those cities have Democratic Mayors. Excluding New Orleans, they are also in either blue states or swing states. These states currently have Democratic Governors, according to USA Today.

New Orleans is an anomaly among the cities that Trump is threatening to send the guard to. Like the others, it is a blue city. However, unlike the rest, it’s in a red state with a Republican Governor.

Trump claims that Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry wishes for the National Guard to “straighten out the city.” This information was reported by NBC News.

New Orleans is one of the most crime ridden cities in the U.S. with a annual violent crime rate of 40.6 violent crimes per 100,000 people in early 2025, according to NOPD News.

Lowering crime in New Orleans would help the city greatly. It would benefit people trying to have fun in the city on weekends. It will also help people living in the city so they won’t be afraid to go out at night.

On the other hand, crime in New Orleans, among other cities, is a problem that is linked to poverty and corruption. Crime won’t decrease without addressing both these issues as soon as possible.

Without doing anything about corruption and poverty crime in New Orleans will never drop.

People have varying opinions. Some believe that this decision is wrong, unnecessary, and don’t want the National Guard to come to their city. “The National Guard is in the city to protect us. However, having groups of men in military uniforms, armed with rifles, makes me feel anything but protected. It signals something is very, very wrong, regardless of whether there is a problem or not.” Saint Paul’s senior Brady Johnson comments on this situation.

In Los Angeles, Trump is using the guard to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) catch illegal immigrants. They will search for anyone who is Hispanic to see if they are in the country legally.

Many people who legally immigrate to the United States or were born here are suffering from illegal racial profiling.

In several U.S. cities, race and the language someone speaks are now reasons for police to search someone. Police may also question an individual about their citizenship status.

This may lead to many innocent, legal U.S. citizens getting illegally searched, arrested, or even deported.

Looking at the other side of the debate some could argue that Trump is making a good call, by combating crime.

Crime is a serious issue in many U.S. cities and needs to be taken care of. In many cities, crime is a big problem. Violent crime, in particular, is causing many people to get hurt or even killed.

In the cities, the guard has been to the crime rate has gone down while they were there. Crime dropping is something several cities need and will turn cities that are falling into ruin into wonderful cities.

In D.C., crime dropped by 49% while the National Guard was deployed. That is a huge drop that could help the city prosper for a period of time.

Fighting crime and lowering crime rates is a great thing, especially in big cities with high crime rates. If crime were less of an issue, people who live in cities with high crime would feel safer and happier. Moreover, people will be more likely to visit those cities.

Sending the National Guard to some cities will likely create temporary challenges. It could be bad for many people living in the cities where he is sending the guard. It could lead to wrongful arrests and illegal racial profiling.

In the long run, it could help lower crime for a while. It may also make many people safer in their home cities. They could be happier living there without fear of getting hurt or killed.

President Donald Trump’s decision could do a multitude of things. It may help some, and it may hurt others. Knowing if it will help with crime or make problems worse is something America needs to wait and see.

Feature image photo credit: Brian Snyder/ Reuters