KENNER, La. (WVUE) – A FOX8 viewer shared a video of masked immigration officers detaining two people in front of a white SUV in Kenner along Veterans Blvd. and the airport access road.
A Kenner Police unit was just behind the group as the agents handcuffed the pair. ICE New Orleans did not say who the detainees are or why they were arrested, but a spokesperson did say that Kenner Police was the lead agency.
The news of the arrest was not a shock to Ceci Gomez, one of the leaders of local civil rights group Unstoppable Kenner.
“It’s still the same. Kenner is still collaborating with ICE,” she said.
Gomez helped start Unstoppable Kenner in 2025 in response to Kenner Police’s increased collaboration with ICE. The relationship between the police department and the immigration agency strengthened in the Spring of that year when Kenner Police signed an agreement with ICE called 287(g).
The 287(g) agreements are designed to give local and state law enforcement agencies immigration powers by allowing the agencies to conduct immigration duties, check immigration data and report undocumented immigrants.
The Kenner Police Department was one of the first agencies in Louisiana to sign into the program, and now, after more than a year, Chief Keith Conley says the federal government is paying up.
“We are getting compensated for equipment, training, anytime an officer spends on an immigration issue, we do the paperwork, and we get compensated,” Conley said. “I think we’ve gotten about $500,000 now and we are on track to get that much more.”
The 287(g) agreement calls for reimbursements to Kenner Police for the cost of helping ICE with immigration work in the city.
Conley argues it’s necessary to crack down on violent immigrant offenders, but Gomez worries the enforcement targets people trying to navigate the immigration process, especially in Kenner. The city’s population includes more than 19,000 Hispanics, who make up 30% of the total population.
“Yes, we have bad apples like any community. But the fact is that you are collaborating to displace families,” Gomez said.
The Kenner Police Department isn’t the only agency in Louisiana with a 287(g) agreement. Per ICE’s public database, 77 law enforcement agencies have a total of 88 agreements, ranging from the task force model to the jail enforcement model and the warrant service model.
Here’s a list of New Orleans metro agencies with 287(g) agreements:
Gretna Police Department – Task Force ModelHammond Police Department – Task Force Model Hammond Police Department – Jail Enforcement ModelKenner Police Department – Jail Enforcement Model Kenner Police Department – Task Force ModelLafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office – Warrant Service ModelMandeville Police Department – Task Force Model Pearl River Police – Task Force ModelPlaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office – Task Force Model Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office – Warrant Service Model St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office – Jail Enforcement Model St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office – Warrant Service Model Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office – Task Force Model
Dillard University criminologist Ashraf Esmail, Ph.D., says he isn’t surprised to hear an increase in 287(g) agreements across the state, as more communities nationwide do the same.
“We know that the president and the governor has supported it,” he said.
However, Esmail worries that the reimbursements for immigration enforcement could send mixed messages to the public.
“It’s almost like applying for a grant, but the grant is focused on arresting, identifying. That’s where the gray line falls into,” Esmail said.
Conley says his officers use 287(g) powers only when necessary and that the agreements have helped bolster the department over the past year.
“Now we are getting compensated so we can get the equipment and the training needed, all through the federal government,” Conley said.
However, Gomez worries the city’s immigrant community is feeling the effects of the immigration enforcement — regardless of their immigration status.
“Quite a few businesses have closed, a few restaurants have closed because people are scared to come here,” she said.
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