New Orleans immigration crackdown following city-by-city playbook
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U.S. Border Patrol agents mistakenly detain a man before releasing him at a construction site on Dec. 3. Photo: Ryan Murphy/Getty Images
As a federal immigration crackdown continues in New Orleans, both the Department of Homeland Security agents who are enforcing it and the activists protesting it are following what's become a blueprint of actions.
Why it matters: That blueprint is unfurling as the Border Patrol takes on a chaotic roadshow across Democratic-led cities that isn't likely to stop anytime soon.
The big picture: Led by chief agent Greg Bovino, agents with the Border Patrol, who fall under DHS purview, have led unprecedented enforcement operations far from the U.S. border.
- That includes crackdowns in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte and, now, New Orleans and Minneapolis.
- "All cities are on target, and this is just another one of those," Bovino said of New Orleans in a CBS News interview.
Zoom in: New Orleans officials and advocacy leaders have referenced and, in some cases, talked directly with their counterparts elsewhere to learn from their immigration crackdown experiences.
- "What we are hearing from our community members ... is exactly what we've seen happen in other cities," said Homero L贸pez, an immigration advocate and lawyer, in a press conference Friday. "Folks are being arrested indiscriminately, targeted for the color of their skin, the language they speak, the location where they're working."
Between the lines: Border Patrol officials have repeatedly denied Axios' requests to discuss its mission scope, timeline, geographic focus and other operational details.
- DHS has also publicly shared only a fraction of its arrest details, both in New Orleans and elsewhere, despite requests from media and local public officials. Citing government documents, the AP reported Sunday that 38 people were arrested in the operation's first two days, with less than a third having criminal backgrounds.
- Still, cities and activists have been able to prepare by observing Border Patrol's consistent tactics from city to city.
Here are some examples:
馃搱 Lofty goals: The Trump administration is pushing for 3,000 immigration arrests a day, which has translated into high goals for city-level crackdowns.
- In New Orleans, DHS is targeting "5,000 arrests or beyond," spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told CNN, as agents look for immigrants with criminal backgrounds.
- Though the AP has reported that the New Orleans-based operation, "Catahoula Crunch," is targeting a broad swath of Southeast Louisiana and South Mississippi, hitting 5,000-plus might be challenging.
- "There is no rational basis that a sweep of New Orleans, or the surrounding parishes, would ever yield anywhere near 5,000 criminals, let alone ones that are considered 'violent' by any definition," City Council President JP Morrell told the AP on Thursday.
馃毃 Citizens arrested: As in other cities, some U.S. citizens have been swept up by federal agents.
- Union Migrante activist Rachel Taber told Axios New Orleans on Thursday she was aware of at least three citizens who'd been detained and ultimately released.
- A viral video of a Marrero woman being chased by masked federal agents was another example.
- Local leaders, including New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick, have called for federal agents to drop their masks as a matter of public safety, among other demands.
- DHS agents' tactics have resulted in high numbers of "collateral" arrests, or detainments of people who happen to be nearby actual DHS targets. Go deeper.
馃摬 Fear within immigrant communities: As a result, fear within immigrant communities is high. But that fear has translated into action for:
- grassroots organizations (WhatsApp and social media groups sharing agent locations, know-your-rights education and whistle kits);
- local politicians, such as New Orleans' City Council's web portal to submit suspected abuses by federal agents;
- and legal challenges over concerns about agent tactics and how some state and federal laws are being interpreted.
Yes, but: One key difference in the New Orleans-based operation is its proximity to ICE's highly efficient deportation machine within the state.
- Just about 200 miles away in Alexandria sits the nation's only airport-based immigration detention hub, a 400-bed facility that allows ICE to quickly move people into custody and out of the country.
DHS also often points to "sanctuary"-like policies as justification for its actions as it targets Democrat-led cities, as it did in announcing the New Orleans-area blitz.
- And though New Orleans has taken up the headlines, so far, in videos, media reports and activist accounts, many federal arrests haven't actually appeared to take place in Orleans Parish, where police have long been prevented by federal consent judgments from assisting in immigration enforcement.
- Instead, they appear to have targeted arrests in neighboring Jefferson Parish, which has a higher immigrant population and local law enforcement friendly to the operation.