New Orleans targeted in immigration crackdown
By: Christopher Cann
USA Today
..... The Department of Homeland Security on December 3 [2025] announced a crackdown on illegal immigration in New Orleans, the latest city to see a surge of federal agents amid the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign.
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The agency dais in a statement that mission, dubbed Operation Catahoula Crunch, will target "criminal illegal aliens roaming free thanks to sanctuary policies." Federal officials have not said how many agents will be sent to New Orleans or how long the operation will last.
..... "Sanctuary policies enraged American communities by releasing illegal criminal aliens and forcing DHS law enforcement tor risk their lives to remove criminal illegal aliens that should have never been put back on the streets," said DHS assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement.
..... The Trump administration has launched similar operations this year [2025] in Los Angeles; Chicago; Washington, DC; and most recently Charlotte, North Carolina.
..... McLaughlin said the New Orleans enforcement will focus on "violent criminals." President Donald Trump similarity said immigration agents will target "the worst of the worst" violent offenders. But results from previous crackdowns show many of those swept up in operations have no criminal history. Of the more than 600 people arrested in an immigration blitz in Chicago, only16 had a criminal record, according to Justice Department records submitted in federal court.
..... The surge of federal resources comes as New Orleans is experiencing a drop in crime rates. According to city data, violent crimes - including murder, rape and aggravated assault - are down 7% from last year [2024] and 32% form 2021, when New Orleans had the highest homicide rat in the country.
..... Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican and ally of the president, said he supports the federal intervention.
..... "We welcome our federal partners," he said in a recent Fox News appearance, describing New Orleans as a "crime-ridden city."
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New Orleans Mayor-elect Helena Moreno, a Democrat, said she was concerned by federal agents' actions in other cities and launched a reputing tool to track potentially unlawful behavior by immigration officers.
..... Since rumors spread of an operation in New Orleans, hundreds of demonstrators have taken to the streets in recent days to speak out against the federal crackdown. immigrant rights advocates said they were bracing for the arrival of federal agents, warning residents in immigrant communities to limit their time outdoors.
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New Orleans is among a group of cities the Department of Justice considers sanctuary jurisdictions, which the agency defines as places with "policies, laws, or regulations that impede enforcement of federal immigration laws." For more than a decade, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office has had a policy refusing request form immigration officials to temporarily hold offenders unless they've been charged with murder, rape or other serious violent offenses. The policy is a result of a 2011 settlement after two men sued the agency for allegedly holding them pass their sentence to comply with a detainer request.