New Orleans officials escalate resistance to DHS 'Catahoula Crunch' with portal, jail access limits
The Department of Homeland Security has launched Operation Catahoula Crunch — a Border Patrol‑led, roughly two‑month operation deploying about 250 agents in New Orleans and surrounding areas (with heavy activity in Kenner) to arrest noncitizens it calls violent offenders, reporting from “dozens” up to about 150 arrests and publicizing several arrestees’ criminal histories. Local officials have pushed back: NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick says the department will not enforce civil immigration law, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office is barring ICE from jails under a consent decree, Mayor‑elect Helena Moreno and the City Council opened a portal to document alleged federal abuses amid protests, and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has demanded cooperation and warned of legal consequences.
📌 Key Facts
- DHS launched Operation Catahoula Crunch, a roughly two‑month Border Patrol‑led initiative deploying about 250 agents to New Orleans and surrounding areas, with activity concentrated in Kenner.
- Federal agencies say the operation has resulted in significant arrests — DHS initially reported “dozens” within 24 hours and CBP later cited about 150 total — and DHS released photos and detailed criminal histories for several noncitizen arrestees, citing allegations including homicide, sexual assault, kidnapping, robbery and drug offenses.
- DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin framed the mission as a response to sanctuary policies, criticized local noncooperation with ICE detainers, and said DHS will prioritize arresting “the worst of the worst,” declaring “criminal illegal aliens are NOT welcome in the U.S.”
- New Orleans officials pushed back: NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the department will not enforce civil immigration law, and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office barred ICE from jail access or using jail space for detention under a long‑running consent decree.
- Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill sent a formal letter urging NOPD to fully cooperate with ICE/CBP, warning that local refusal may violate the state’s 2024 anti‑sanctuary law and could expose officials to felony malfeasance charges.
- City leaders and community activists mobilized: Mayor‑elect Helena Moreno and the New Orleans City Council launched a portal for residents to document alleged federal agent abuses; Moreno accused Border Patrol of “targeting Brown people.”
- Protests erupted at a New Orleans City Council meeting on Dec. 4, when roughly 30–40 anti‑ICE demonstrators were removed after disrupting the session; no arrests were reported at that time.
- On the ground, Border Patrol commanders and convoys of federal vehicles were visibly present in Kenner, drawing cooperation from more than 20 Louisiana law‑enforcement agencies per CBP, prompting some Hispanic‑owned businesses to shut or remain empty as residents avoided public activity; Border Patrol leadership has also warned that anti‑enforcement rhetoric endangers agents.
📊 Relevant Data
The Hispanic population in New Orleans increased from 3 percent in 2000 to 9 percent in 2024, reflecting significant demographic change largely due to post-Hurricane Katrina immigration and settlement.
Who Lives in New Orleans and Metro Parishes Now? — The Data Center
Undocumented immigrants were 37.1% less likely to be convicted of a crime than U.S.-born individuals, based on recent studies.
Immigrants less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born — NPR
Undocumented immigrants have substantially lower crime rates than native-born citizens and legal immigrants across a range of felony offenses, with population percentages indicating undocumented immigrants comprise about 3% of the U.S. population.
📰 Sources (9)
Louisiana intensifies immigration crackdown as border chief warns far-left rhetoric endangers agents
New information:
- CBP/Border Patrol says Operation Catahoula Crunch in Louisiana has led to about 150 arrests so far (an increase from earlier reports of 'dozens').
- More than 20 Louisiana law‑enforcement agencies are cooperating with the federal operation, according to CBP.
- Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino publicly argued that anti‑enforcement rhetoric from leaders in California, Illinois (Gov. Pritzker), Chicago (Mayor Johnson), and North Carolina (Gov. Stein) endangers agents by encouraging violence.
- DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin reiterated that DHS will prioritize arresting 'the worst of the worst' and said 'criminal illegal aliens are NOT welcome in the U.S.'
Sanctuary cities 2.0: Mayors fight back against Trump's ICE raids
New information:
- NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said, 'We will not enforce civil law,' underscoring NOPD non‑participation in civil immigration enforcement.
- Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office will not allow ICE to enter jails for arrests or use jail space for detention due to a long‑running consent decree.
- New Orleans City Council, led by Mayor‑elect Helena Moreno, launched a portal for residents to document alleged federal agent abuses; Moreno accused Border Patrol of 'targeting Brown people.'
Louisiana AG urges NOPD to cooperate fully with federal immigration authorities
New information:
- Louisiana AG Liz Murrill sent a formal letter to NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick urging immediate, full cooperation with ICE and CBP.
- Murrill warned NOPD policies may violate Louisiana’s 2024 law banning sanctuary policies and said refusal to cooperate could trigger felony malfeasance charges.
- The letter explicitly cites the duty to 'use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law' and follows DHS’s Operation Catahoula Crunch arrests.
Shops empty in a Hispanic neighborhood as immigration crackdown comes to Louisiana
New information:
- Operation activity specifically centered in Kenner, La., with convoys of federal vehicles on main commercial streets and detentions outside businesses and construction sites.
- Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino personally appeared in Kenner with agents in tactical gear to tout the launch.
- Kenner Mayor Michael Glaser’s office said the crackdown is under federal jurisdiction and called for professional, lawful conduct by agencies operating in the city.
- DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said 'dozens' of arrests occurred within 24 hours, describing arrestees’ rap sheets as including homicide, kidnapping, child abuse, robbery, theft, and assault.
- Local economic impact details: multiple Hispanic-owned restaurants and shops shuttered or emptied as residents and workers avoid going out.
DHS arrests dozens of illegal immigrants within 24 hours of launching New Orleans operation
New information:
- DHS says it made “dozens” of arrests in New Orleans within 24 hours of Operation Catahoula Crunch launching.
- DHS named several noncitizen arrestees and listed their criminal histories, including: Vietnam nationals Binh Van To (convictions: kidnapping, homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon) and Hung Ngoc Tran (convictions: sexual assault, larceny, ‘fondling’ of a child); Honduran nationals Carlos Roberto Guardado-Ramirez (arrest history: simple battery, domestic abuse, child endangerment, resisting an officer, DWI) and Jose Raul Lopez-Serrano (conviction: marijuana possession; prior arrest for disturbing the peace); Guatemalan national Luis Fernando Maldonado‑Velasquez (immigration warrant; prior arrests for suspected vehicle theft and forging/altering documents); and Dominican national Freddy Caldero‑Caraballo (prior arrests for suspected cocaine possession, public intoxication, and DWI).
- DHS released photos of arrestees and emphasized the operation targets 'violent criminals,' with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issuing statements criticizing sanctuary policies and thanking law enforcement.
Anti-ICE protesters storm New Orleans council meeting, unleashing chaos amid immigration crackdown
New information:
- Anti-ICE protesters disrupted a New Orleans City Council meeting on Dec. 4, forcing the council to suspend the session and leave the chamber.
- New Orleans Police Department removed roughly 30–40 protesters after repeated orders to clear the room; at least one protester was carried out; no arrests were reported as of Thursday afternoon.
- Article specifies Operation Catahoula Crunch is a two-month initiative deploying 250 Border Patrol agents in New Orleans and surrounding areas; protesters refer to it as 'Swamp Sweep.'
- Includes a sharply worded statement from DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defending the operation and condemning sanctuary policies, stating the focus is on violent offenders released after arrests for serious crimes.
Border Patrol’s expanding role in Trump’s immigration crackdown
New information:
- DHS confirmed it has started a sweeping immigration crackdown in New Orleans.
- PBS NewsHour reports Border Patrol, not ICE, is primarily running the New Orleans operation.
DHS launches new immigration crackdown operation in New Orleans
New information:
- DHS statement frames sanctuary policies as forcing local agencies to ignore ICE detainers; includes direct quotes from Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
- Targets explicitly include individuals released after arrests for home invasion, armed robbery, grand theft auto, and rape; DHS listed example cases (e.g., aggravated assault with a firearm, domestic abuse, DUI, sexual battery).
- New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said her department will not enforce civil immigration law; Louisiana AG Liz Murrill responded that obstructing ICE is a state crime.