DHS said it had arrested more than 250 criminal illegal immigrants in New Orleans as part of Operation Catahoula Crunch.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) New Orleans field office arrested 2,824 illegal immigrants in November and deported 11,870 from the country, it said in a Dec. 11 post on X.
Among the arrested were gang members, including two from Tren de Aragua and five from MS-13. Both transnational organizations were designated as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists by the State Department in February. In addition, 11 members from other gangs were arrested as well, ICE New Orleans said.
In a Dec. 11 statement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it had arrested more than 250 criminal illegal immigrants in New Orleans since the launch of Operation Catahoula Crunch on Dec. 3.
Arrested individuals include a Guatemalan national who has been convicted of felony sexual battery of a minor, a Honduran illegal previously arrested for armed robbery and aggravated battery with a dangerous weapon, and a Mexican who was earlier arrested for domestic abuse battery.
“For too long, the sanctuary policies of New Orleans have endangered the lives of the citizens and visitors of its beautiful city,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said.
Sanctuary jurisdictions are places where local or state officials refuse to enforce federal immigration laws or cooperate with federal immigration authorities. New Orleans is one of the cities listed as a sanctuary jurisdiction, according to an Aug. 5 statement from the Department of Justice.
“It is asinine that the very politicians elected to serve the great people of New Orleans have allowed gang members, repeat offenders, sex criminals, and violent abusers to walk their streets and terrorize their citizens,” McLaughlin said.
“DHS will continue arresting these scumbags until every criminal illegal alien has been removed from the streets of New Orleans.”
The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions in New Orleans have faced pushback from Democrats.
Helena Moreno, the Democratic mayor-elect of New Orleans, has criticized the enforcement surge and published a “Know Your Rights” guide on her website, detailing how to interact with immigration officers.
