(The Center Square) – U.S. Border Patrol expanded its operations to the New Orleans area on Wednesday as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
A news release from the Department of Homeland Security marked the first confirmation of reports that federal agents were headed to New Orleans, a Democrat-led city that is heavily reliant on service-worker jobs often filled by immigrants. It has a significant Hispanic population in its suburbs.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said agents are looking for violent criminals who were released after being arrested. The department’s news release listed 10 people it said had been released from local jails because of sanctuary city policies.
The state’s top Republicans, including Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, have welcomed federal agents and warned that people who obstruct their efforts face penalties. New Orleans leaders said they’re worried the agents will repeat aggressive tactics that have been used in other cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago and North Carolina, where many people without criminal histories were taken into custody.
Protests against the expansion to New Orleans began on Monday, with several dozen demonstrators marching through the streets.
It’s not clear how long the sweep, dubbed “Operation Catahoula Crunch,” will last. Border Patrol has been active in the area this year already.
The Center Square’s analysis of 30 cases in Louisiana’s Eastern District court turned up a handful of people with prior criminal records who have been arrested this year. The charges range from firearm possession or stolen weapons to lower-level traffic and alcohol offenses. Others are accused of returning to the U.S. after being deported or of using false Social Security numbers to work.
The New Orleans area has a population of between 130,000 to 140,000 Hispanics.
As the federal operation continues, the FBI’s New Orleans field office and the Louisiana State Police said they would work to deter assaults on federal officers and any attempts to obstruct it.
State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges said troopers will enforce state criminal laws “designed to protect people and property.”
Troopers will be in uniform and in marked State Police vehicles “to ensure a visible and coordinated presence,” Hodges said, and will “take immediate action on all state-level criminal violations involving the assault or battery of any law enforcement personnel – federal, state, or local – as well as incidents involving criminal damage to property.”
Cases may be referred to local district attorneys, the Louisiana Attorney General’s office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for potential prosecution, the FBI said.
New Orleans Mayor-elect Helena Moreno said in a statement in late November that reports of “due process violations and potential abuses in other cities are concerning.” She recently circulated a “Know Your Rights” guide reminding residents of their constitutional protections.
Councilmember Lesli Harris said New Orleans is “strongest when every resident feels safe” and stressed that immigration violations are civil, not criminal, matters.
Immigrants in the city “are workers, business owners, parents, students, caregivers, and neighbors,” she said, and should not be subjected to fear or intimidation for seeking “safety, opportunity, or a better life.”
