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U.S. immigration authorities have launched an enforcement initiative in New Orleans aimed at detaining individuals residing in the country without legal status, federal officials confirmed Wednesday. The Department of Homeland Security stated that the operation is focused on targeting offenders who were previously released from local custody due to New Orleans’ policies restricting collaboration with federal immigration agencies.
President Donald Trump, a Republican, has directed similar efforts in numerous Democrat-led cities—such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.—as part of a broader push to escalate deportation numbers.
Community members and city officials impacted by these operations have criticized the approach, arguing that it has ensnared many non-criminal residents and involved aggressive tactics that put public safety at risk.
The New Orleans operation is expected to continue until the end of the year, but its exact scale remains uncertain. During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump also announced plans to deploy the National Guard to the city in the coming weeks.
The looming crackdown has already instilled fear among some locals, who worry they could be targeted for profiling. At one family-run restaurant, a woman set up makeshift sleeping arrangements for relatives, allowing them to remain on-site to avoid potential encounters with federal agents while commuting.
In November, a federal judge lifted a 2013 consent decree that had previously restricted the New Orleans Police Department from assisting with federal immigration enforcement. Despite this, Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the city would not participate in enforcing federal immigration law.
New Orleans appeared on a Justice Department list released in August categorizing it as a “sanctuary city.” The current action in New Orleans—home to roughly 384,000 residents—comes on the heels of an earlier Border Patrol–led operation in Charlotte, North Carolina.
