New Orleans residents in fear as immigration crackdown descends on their city

Two workers stand on the roof of a house in Kenner, near New Orleans, as U.S. Border Patrol agents climb a ladder and approach.

As the agents approach, trying to arrest them, the men move to the edge of the roof, clearly ready to fight back, but too high to jump.

On the ground in a predominantly Latino neighborhood, an officer points his weapon at a rooftop as a sniper takes position. Now neighbors, activists and members of the local press gather at the scene and watch in disbelief: US President Trump's new front line on immigration enforcement has just arrived.

Today is the first day of the “Catahoula Crisis,” as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has dubbed its operation, taking its name from the American leopard dog, known for its muscularity, power and territoriality.

“These people came to work today to provide for their families and themselves,” said Zoe Higgins, an activist documenting the Border Patrol operation in New Orleans.

“The fact that they could just be kidnapped, stripped of any stability—I can't imagine how terrible that is,” she said shortly after agents coaxed the men to come down and detain them.

According to DHS, its agents were conducting immigration enforcement this week when “several illegal aliens climbed onto the roof of a residence and refused to comply with agents’ commands.”

An “illegal alien” had been arrested, DHS officials told the BBC, but they did not respond to questions about the immigration status of the workers involved or whether agents had a warrant to access the property.

On Thursday, DHS said in a news release that the operation in Louisiana resulted in dozens of people being arrested or convicted of various crimes.

It is the fourth major city to be targeted by Trump's immigration crackdown after he promised the largest mass deportation of undocumented migrants in history. The campaign, which received strong support from his base, sparked a fierce backlash in the Democratic-led cities it targeted.

Still, Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, who wears a bulletproof vest and travels with law enforcement teams, has vowed to fight the “worst of the worst” among undocumented migrants.

He emerged from Homeland Security headquarters in New Orleans surrounded by armed, masked law enforcement officers. “Whether we do it on foot or in vehicles, in the air or in the water, this is what we do. So, whether it's walking, we're all committed to making America safe,” he said.

According to media reports, officials intend to make 5,000 arrests in the city, with a particular focus on criminals. But New Orleans City Council President J.P. Morrell said Thursday that “cleaning up New Orleans or its surrounding counties” “would not uncover nearly 5,000 criminals, let alone those considered 'violent' by any definition.”

In the New Orleans suburb of Kenner, the Latino community is isolated due to fears of raids.

The door is open at Abigail's, one of the few Mexican restaurants that still serves food, although these days it mostly delivers.

Two decades ago, at the age of 10, Abigail, who asked to use only her first name for fear of retribution, came to the United States from Mexico City with her family. Since then, her parents, Sandra and Cesar, have built a restaurant business serving Kenner's active, mixed community.

But now her family sleeps in the restaurant for fear of being caught in the raids.

“This whole business is driven by immigrants,” said Abigail, whose 10-year-old son was born in the United States. “A lot of people are afraid to go outside, they’re scared to go out. They feel so sad about this situation.”

According to the latest estimates from the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, there are as many as 14 million people living in the United States without legal permission.

Catahoula Crunch targets undocumented migrants who also face criminal charges, Bovino said. The operation was announced in a press release that showed photos of those who were said to have been released into the community rather than into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) due to “sanctuary” policies in cities like New Orleans. However, leaked government data from the latest city to be attacked suggests that most of those detained had no criminal history.

The term “sanctuary city” has become popular in the United States to describe places that limit their assistance to federal immigration authorities.

An estimated 13% of New Orleans' population of one million is Hispanic. Many came to help rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

As illegal migration into the U.S. has increased sharply under the Biden administration, particularly across the southern border, it has become a major election issue and led to Trump's campaign promises to wage an aggressive deportation campaign.

New Orleans leaders oppose his tactics, but Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry welcomes them. Detained migrants may be held at Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary and the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. Its name refers to the former slave plantation that was located on the site of the current prison.

One of the longest bridges in the world—nearly 24 miles long over Lake Pontchartrain—connects New Orleans to the North Shore. In this Republican-dominated county, Trump supporters who support the operation live alongside those who believe it has gone too far.

“A lot of them work a lot harder than everyone else,” mechanic Tyler Forrester said. “But if they’re not here legally, they’re not allowed to be here, they should leave.”

Mary Anne, another resident who voted for Trump and would not give her last name, describes the issue as “complicated.”

“I just have mixed feelings about this because what if this mom is here with her legal husband and kids and she works, why would you take her over someone who has [criminal] recording,” she said.

The mood reflects changing views on immigration among Trump's own supporters.

Polls show the president's approval rating is falling because of his handling of the issue, as well as a sharp decline since last year in the number of Republicans who believe overall immigration levels need to be lowered.

Back in Kenner, tensions and feelings of uncertainty rise again as another chapter is written in America's long history of immigration.