Federal immigration authorities launched an enforcement operation in New Orleans on Wednesday, expanding a series of crackdowns taking place in cities across the
country under the Trump administration.
The Department of Homeland Security said the operation is focused on immigrants accused of violent crimes, including home invasion, armed robbery and rape. According to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, the effort targets individuals who were previously arrested and later released.
McLaughlin did not disclose how many federal agents are involved in the operation.
Louisiana officials have been anticipating the crackdown for weeks. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, has publicly welcomed the effort and has worked to align state policies with the administration’s immigration enforcement priorities.
“Sanctuary policies endanger American communities by releasing illegal criminal aliens and forcing DHS law enforcement to risk their lives to remove criminal illegal aliens that should have never been put back on the streets,” McLaughlin said in a statement.
The New Orleans operation follows similar federal immigration actions recently launched in Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina, signaling an intensified nationwide enforcement push. Photo by U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Wikimedia commons.
