Immigration Campaign Heads for New Orleans
President Donald Trump’s aides will next expand their citywide immigration enforcement strategy south to New Orleans, Louisiana, according to reports.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is preparing to deploy some 250 law enforcement agents in what is dubbed “Operation Swamp Sweep” to continue Trump’s nationwide immigration crackdown, the Associated Press reported.
The next phase of the crackdown will be led by Customs and Border Protection chief Gregory Bovino, who has become Trump’s go-to leader since launching “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago in September. Bovino has led citywide operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, and is expected to move to the Big Easy next month.
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Anti-American and pro-migrant groups are already rushing to oppose federal law enforcement operations in New Orleans by drawing on the experiences of violent activists in Chicago, according to reports.
However, unlike previous cities where Bovino took charge of immigration enforcement, New Orleans police are currently preparing to cooperate with Bovino’s campaign. Each of the other cities actively resisted or passively refused to assist federal law enforcement.
People march during a veterans rally in Chicago, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
New Orleans Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick warned violators about the upcoming operation.
“We will not participate in the deportation, but we will still be here. They are coming, so I will be a collaborator. But I also want to emphasize something to our community: being in our country without papers is illegal. Being illegal is not criminal,” she told reporters last Tuesday.
However, DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin did not confirm the news.
“Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country. We do not discuss future or potential operations,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin also noted that even if Bovino moved on to his next post, federal agents would not leave any of the cities in which he had previously appeared.
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