In brief
A new federal immigration crackdown has launched in New Orleans, aimed at apprehending immigrants convicted of serious crimes. The operation is part of a broader enforcement strategy by the Trump administration, which has already seen similar actions in other major U.S. cities, like Los Angeles and Chicago. Local support, particularly from Governor Jeff Landry, signifies a tightening of immigration policies that some perceive as a risk to community safety versus rights of immigrants.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal immigration crackdown began Wednesday in New Orleans under an operation that a Homeland Security official said would target violent criminals, expanding the Trump administration’s sweeps that have unfolded in other U.S. cities. The aim of the operation is to capture immigrants who were released after their arrests for crimes such as home invasion, armed robbery, and rape, Homeland Security Department Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. She did not specify the number of agents who would be deployed under the operation. Louisiana has been preparing for weeks for this immigration crackdown, which Republican Governor Jeff Landry has indicated he welcomes. 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 stated. Similar immigration enforcement initiatives have been conducted in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Governor Landry, a close ally of former President Trump, has worked to align state policy with the enforcement agenda of the White House, further complicating the landscape for immigrant communities in Louisiana.
