FILE-U.S. Border Patrol agents detain a man on the street on December 3, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)
Federal agents arrived in New Orleans as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown nationwide.
Immigration officers entered the city Wednesday in an operation designed to target immigrants who were released after arrests for crimes, Reuters reported.
RELATED: Trump administration's next immigration crackdown targets Charlotte
Gregory Bovino, a U.S. Border Patrol official who has led President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Charlotte, said he was in New Orleans, posting on X, "We are here arresting criminals who should not be here. The state, local and federal law enforcement partners in Louisiana are excellent partners!!"
New Orleans immigration enforcement operation
Dig deeper:
The Associated Press reported that there are over 200 Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials working on the New Orleans operation, a U.S. official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly shared with the AP.
According to the AP, the deployment, which has a goal to arrest 5,000 people, was expected to be led by the Border Patrol. Immigration operation documents obtained by the AP reveal that border agents plan to conduct a monthslong enforcement in southeast Louisiana and into Mississippi.
RELATED: Trump administration halts immigration applications for 19 countries on travel ban list
In addition to the deployment of federal agents in New Orleans, the AP noted that Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said he expects National Guard members to arrive in New Orleans before Christmas to join the efforts to curtail crime.
On Wednesday, a Louisiana immigrant rights group asked a judge to stop a new state law that grants prosecutors more leeway to charge individuals accused of delaying, impeding, or meddling with a federal immigration crackdown.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Reuters and the Associated Press, which obtained documents on the immigration operation. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.