Hours ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit on Monday to New Orleans — his first since the violent attack on New Year’s Day that left 14 people dead — law enforcement officers swarmed a blockaded Jackson Square, where Biden and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, were expected to attend an evening prayer and memorial service at St. Louis Cathedral. 

Dozens of uniformed New Orleans police officers and Orleans Parish Sheriff’s deputies patrolled the area, as U.S. Secret Service agents swept the perimeter of the park with trained dogs. Louisiana State Police cruisers were parked throughout the French Quarter, while several city workers began to tow illegally parked vehicles. 

On Bourbon Street, where attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar maneuvered past a New Orleans police vehicle, over an undeployed mechanical wedge and though an inoperable bollard system to gain access to the roadway, there was little visible police presence ahead of the president’s arrival.

At Bourbon and Canal streets, a temporary wall blocked access to the sidewalk, where a growing memorial to the victims spilled out into the street. A large truck also blocked traffic from turning onto Bourbon, where bollards are planned to be installed in the coming weeks. The bollards were removed in 2017, and had not been replaced by the time Jabbar sped down the street. 

At about 2 p.m., no physical barriers were in place at any other intersections along Bourbon, save for a handful of blocks under construction. 

By 4 p.m., at least two armored vehicles rolled down the one-way street. Law enforcement officers removed people who had gathered around the memorial, and parked cruisers on nearby Royal and Chartres street. 

When Biden arrived moments later at the memorial, before going to Jackson Square, police vehicles were parked along Bourbon’s intersections, preventing passage. 

The increased security measures came shortly after Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill pledged a full review of the city’s safety plans following the attack, which is being investigated as a act of terrorism. Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry also said they had successfully petitioned the president to increase the Department of Homeland Security Special Event Assessment Rating to level 1, a designation that will provide federal assistance for the Super Bowl and for Carnival season.

Local and state law enforcement officials, including the police department, sheriff’s office and state police, declined to share details about their protection plans on Monday, directing all security questions to the U.S. Secret Service. Officials with the mayor’s office, New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the Louisiana National Guard did not return calls and emails.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service also declined to provide details on its security measures, writing in an email that the agency “is working closely with our local law enforcement partners to ensure the highest levels of safety and security for both our protectees and the public. [But] in order to maintain operational security, the U.S. Secret Service does not discuss our protective means and methods.”

“Residents and visitors in or around the New Orleans area should expect intermittent road closures and parking restrictions as part of the visit,” the spokesperson, Alexi Worley, added.

Prior to Biden touching down at Louis Armstrong International Airport, Interstate 10 was closed in both directions from the French Quarter to the airport, according to New Orleans police.

Street barricades in the French Quarter, which blocked access to Jackson Square, were expected to be removed in time for the 7 p.m. start of the St. Joan of Arc parade, the first parade of Carnival.