Federal agents launch immigration sweep across New Orleans metro area : NPR
Homeland Security announced that federal agents had launched an operation in New Orleans targeting illegal immigrants in the country. It is the latest city to face a widespread crackdown on immigration.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Federal agents launched a long-awaited immigration enforcement operation in New Orleans today. It’s the latest metropolitan area targeted by the Trump administration’s campaign to step up arrests and deportations of immigrants without legal status in the country. NPR’s Martin Kaste is in New Orleans. We’ll join him for the latest news. Hi, Martin.
MARTIN KASTE, BYLINE: Hello, Mary Louise.
KELLY: So we’ve seen this kind of immigration enforcement in other Democratic-led cities this year – I’m thinking Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte. Are we looking for the same type of operation in New Orleans?
KASTE: Well, so far the feds are promising something similar here. They say they are targeting people who are in the country illegally and who have committed crimes. And in New Orleans, they say that means looking for people with criminal histories who have been released from the local jail but have not been turned over to ICE. That’s what the federal government wants local jails to do: turn these people over if they enter the country illegally. Trump has been highly critical of what he calls sanctuary policies, which he says protect criminals from deportation. But that said, this operation probably won’t just focus on criminals, because what we’ve seen in other operations, like in Chicago, is that most of the people who were arrested for immigration violations did not have criminal records.
KELLY: And there you are. What do you see so far? It’s the first day of an operation that is expected to take place – what? – for weeks?
KASTE: Probably, yes. Well, we’re getting scattered reports from volunteer observers working for immigration advocacy groups who say they’ve seen immigration agents at places like Home Depot and Lowe’s — the same type of businesses that were targeted in Los Angeles earlier this year. But what’s more visible in this city, should I really say, are the scattered closures of some small family restaurants and bars that have temporarily closed their doors or perhaps reduced their hours. Some people say it’s because not enough workers are showing up, but others say in some cases it’s preventative to avoid a raid.
KELLY: Bars closing in New Orleans.
KASTE: Yeah.
KELLY: It’s not nothing. I also remember all the resistance against ICE in other cities, thinking of Chicago in particular. What kind of reaction could ICE expect in Louisiana?
KASTE: There seems to be a difference between New Orleans proper and the suburbs on this. For example, there is a suburb called Kenner that has seen a large increase in Latino residents in recent years. There, the city and police chief welcomed ICE. And Latinos in the community say they feel a similar vibe from some of their nonimmigrant neighbors.
I spoke to a man named Jesse Bermudez(ph) earlier today. He runs a Latin American grocery store. I should say that this store was completely empty, and he says that’s really typical right now. People just don’t go out. But he told me that many locals came here to help rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. And now, he says, at least on social media, they’re being told it’s time to go.
JESSE BERMUDEZ: I will see in the comments that you have a lot of people. It’s good that they’re leaving. You know, they’re not supposed to be here and so on. But one of you probably called to get a roof fixed, or one of you probably called to get a door fixed or, you know, something replaced. So it’s a really bad feeling – just seeing people – that our own community is turning its back on someone who really helped.
KELLY: Martin, you shared some of the reactions in the suburbs. What is it about New Orleans itself – the city – that is so dependent on tourists?
KASTE: Absolutely, and Mardi Gras is coming. As we mentioned, New Orleans police are not supposed to assist in immigration enforcement. Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick calls immigration a civil matter. It’s not his responsibility. But I will say that officials here are under a lot of pressure from the state, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry and the Legislature, because they want to see local law enforcement cooperate with the federal government. So unlike Chicago or Los Angeles, which were buoyed by their state sanctuary policies, New Orleans truly stands on its own. It’s all alone about that.
KELLY: NPR’s Martin Kaste, reporting from New Orleans. Thanks, Martin.
KASTE: You’re welcome.
Copyright © 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit the terms of use and permissions pages on our website at www.npr.org for more information.
The accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. The text of the transcript may be edited to correct errors or match updates to the audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio recording.
