Democrat-led city has been bracing for arrival of federal agents for weeks, with some businesses closing their doors
Federal agents are preparing to descend on New Orleans on Wednesday, making Louisiana’s most populous city the latest front in the Trump administration’s sweeping crackdown on immigrant communities.
Tricia McLaughlin, homeland security department assistant secretary, said in a statement that the aim of “Operation Catahoula Crunch” was to capture immigrants who were released after their arrests for crimes including home invasion, armed robbery, grand theft auto and rape. “It is asinine that these monsters were released back onto New Orleans streets to COMMIT MORE CRIMES and create more victims,” she said.
It is unclear how long the crackdown would last but it is reportedly targeting 5,000 arrests. The Democrat-led city has been bracing for weeks for the arrival of federal agents, with rumors swirling of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) crackdown led by border patrol initially referred to as “Swamp Sweep”.
Community organizers have been urging residents to stay inside as much as possible and educating the public about what to do if confronted by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and how to legally film them. Some businesses have told their workers to stay home or have reported workers staying home out of fear. Some have signs posted on their doors telling ICE they are not welcome, while others are handing out whistles to members of the public.
