Louisiana arrests top 250 in 'Catahoula Crunch' as Lt. Gov. Nungesser criticizes operation

📌 Key Facts

• Operation Catahoula Crunch is a two-month federal immigration operation centered in New Orleans and Kenner that deployed about 250 Border Patrol agents and is being run primarily by Border Patrol; DHS says the broader goal is 5,000 arrests.
• DHS/CBP initially reported “dozens” of arrests, later citing about 150 and then saying more than 250 arrests across southeast Louisiana so far; DHS released photos and lists of arrestees and framed the operation as targeting “violent criminals” and “the worst of the worst,” with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin criticizing sanctuary policies and saying “criminal illegal aliens are NOT welcome in the U.S.”
• DHS named several noncitizen arrestees it described as having serious criminal histories — including Vietnam nationals Binh Van To (kidnapping, homicide, aggravated assault, robbery) and Hung Ngoc Tran (sexual assault, larceny, alleged child fondling) — and listed other arrestees from Honduras, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic with prior arrests or convictions ranging from domestic abuse and DWI to suspected drug and theft offenses.
• A records review reported by AP and published by ABC found that a majority of people detained in the operation’s first two days had no criminal histories, a finding that contrasts with DHS’s stated focus on violent offenders.
• Local authorities and state officials have clashed over the operation: NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the police department will not enforce civil immigration law; the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office barred ICE from jails under a long‑running consent decree; Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill sent a formal letter urging full cooperation with federal authorities and warned that refusing to cooperate could violate the state’s 2024 anti‑sanctuary law and trigger felony charges; New Orleans leaders opened a portal for residents to document alleged federal agent abuses.
• Protests and public unrest followed the raids: anti‑ICE demonstrators disrupted a New Orleans City Council meeting on Dec. 4, forcing the session to suspend; NOPD removed roughly 30–40 protesters (carrying at least one person out) and, at that time, no arrests were reported.
• Operation tactics and local impacts were widely reported: activity concentrated in Kenner with convoys of federal vehicles and agents in tactical gear detaining people outside businesses and construction sites; Hispanic‑owned shops and restaurants emptied or closed, many authorized workers stayed home, and families made emergency custody plans amid fear and detentions.
• Specific incidents and political reactions include reports that agents broke a passenger window to arrest Honduran mother Vilma Cruz in Kenner; Mayor‑elect Helena Moreno accused Border Patrol of “targeting Brown people;” Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser publicly criticized the operation for its labor and family‑separation impacts (breaking with most state GOP officials); and Border Patrol leadership warned that anti‑enforcement rhetoric endangers agents.

📰 Sources (10)