Federal agents equipped with megaphones descended on a Metairie apartment complex Thursday and urged people to come out for questioning, spurring immigration advocates to advise residents that agents need a warrant signed by a judge to enter someone’s home.
That guidance, delivered by New Orleans-area advocacy group Union Migrante and other advocates on social media, came as residents gird for U.S. Border Patrol agents to stage a sweeping immigration operation in the coming weeks across Southeast Louisiana.
“You don’t have the duty to go out unless they have a warrant, and they are trying to knock at your location with a legal warrant signed by a judge,” said Cynthia Ceballos, a Metairie-based immigration attorney, in a video posted Thursday by Union Migrante.
The apartment complex operation was not part of the impending Border Patrol immigration sweeps, which are set to launch soon in the New Orleans region. A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service said the agency had been trying to serve a felony warrant on a domestic violence suspect, but the person was not there.
Still, the reaction among advocates and lawyers highlighted anxiety within majority-Hispanic immigrant communities around New Orleans ahead of the Border Patrol’s arrival. And it underscored advice circulating among immigration attorneys, their clients, Hispanic community hubs and businesses about what rights residents have and how to exercise them when federal agents arrive in their communities.
Immigration attorneys have hammered the message to clients that they have the right to remain inside homes unless Border Patrol or other federal agents confirm they have signed warrants for their arrests.
Attorneys have also advised business owners of their right to deny federal immigration agents access to nonpublic areas, such as kitchens and offices, if they lack warrants.
Jeremy Jong, a New Orleans-based immigration attorney, said Border Patrol’s recent large-scale raids in Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina have shown that the agency will likely focus on worksites and public spaces like businesses in New Orleans.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents arrive to escort U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Gregory Bovino from federal court in Chicago, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) ORG XMIT: ILNH112
Nam Y. Huh
Rarely in those cities did Border Patrol agents have warrants to enter worksites or businesses, Jong said. Instead, agents frequently relied consent from business owners to allow entry into nonpublic areas.
“Very little of what they did in Chicago was, like, ‘oh, we have a warrant and we’re going into your business,’” Jong said. “Or, they threaten you until you give consent and let them into your business.”
Jong said he’s received a flurry of inquiries from anxious clients since news broke of the impending Border Patrol operation.
He has advised clients to to remain home when they can — though he acknowledged that most people won’t have that option for the duration of Border Patrol’s presence. The Associated Press reported the agency’s time in New Orleans is expected to last months.
“People are still going to have to go to work,” he said.
Border Patrol has played a central role in an escalating immigration crackdown from President Donald Trump’s administration, which has included high-profile raids in Charlotte and Chicago. In those cities, the agency’s tactics drew fierce criticism and protests.
Border Patrol has tapped New Orleans as the next destination of its city-by-city crackdown.
Even as the Department of Homeland Security has declined to confirm the existence of the pending Border Patrol operation, preparations have rippled across the city.
On Wednesday, mayor-elect Helena Moreno said her transition team is preparing guidance for residents who are “concerned” about Border Patrol’s presence in the city. Anxiety about the operation also rippled through at least one local school this week.
InspireNOLA CEO Jamar McKneely said he and other school leaders have fielded calls and emails from concerned parents asking if they can switch to virtual learning options and asking about what protections the school can offer students.
InspireNOLA runs seven charter schools around New Orleans, including Andrew Wilson Charter School, which has one of the highest populations of students learning English of any school in the city.
In January, the Department of Homeland Security said federal law enforcement would no longer adhere to guidelines that previously protected churches, courthouses, schools and bus stops from immigration actions, prompting fear from parents about sending their students to school.
U.S. Border Patrol agents look on, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley) ORG XMIT: NCMK109
Matt Kelley
In Charlotte, more than 27,000 students were reported absent on the first day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement began immigration raids in the city, according to the Charlotte Observer.
McKneely said a noticeable number of students did not attend school Thursday, though he declined to share a number.
“Our parents have elevated concerns,” he said.
Staff writers Marie Fazio and Lara Nicholson contributed to this report.