DHS ‘Swamp Sweep’ operation aims for nearly 5K arrests in Louisiana, Mississippi

The Department of Homeland Security is preparing to deploy about 250 federal border agents to Louisiana and Mississippi as part of a sweeping operation to arrest nearly 5,000 people in the two states, The Associated Press reported Tuesday, citing internal documents and people familiar with the matter.

The two-month immigration initiative, dubbed “Swamp Sweep,” is scheduled to begin Dec. 1 and will focus primarily on southeast Louisiana, according to the report. The crackdown marks one of the largest deployments of immigration authorities in a single state to date under the Trump administration.

Agents are expected to begin arriving in New Orleans on Friday to position equipment, vehicles and other logistics before deploying to communities across Louisiana. The operations will extend from New Orleans through Jefferson, St. Bernard and St. Tammany parishes, as far north as Baton Rouge, the AP said. Additional control measures are planned in southeast Mississippi, although details remain limited.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

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Border Patrol agents could be deployed to Louisiana and Mississippi this week as part of Trump’s growing crackdown on illegal immigration. (Getty Images)

“For the safety and security of law enforcement, we are not going to telegraph potential operations,” spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told the outlet.

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An aerial view of downtown New Orleans behind suburban homes, August 26, 2025. (Brandon Bell)

Spokespeople for Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves — both Republicans who have previously supported President Donald Trump and his agenda — also did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

Reeves announced in August that he “approved the deployment of approximately 200 Mississippi National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to support President Trump’s efforts to restore law and order to our nation’s capital.”

In May, Landry also touted a partnership with “the federal government to crack down on criminal illegal aliens in the great state of Louisiana.”

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White House Border Czar Tom Homan answers questions during a television interview outside the White House September 8, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The expansion in Louisiana and Mississippi comes as the Trump administration accelerates its national immigration control strategy. Federal immigration agents have already been sent to major cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago and, most recently, Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Trump’s border czar Tom Homan told Fox News on Tuesday that additional operations are in the works for New York City, signaling that the crackdown is poised to expand even further in the coming weeks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.