The U.S. Department of Homeland Security officially launched a sweeping immigration enforcement operation in New Orleans on Wednesday morning, part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The operation, dubbed “Catahoula Crunch,” follows similar sweeps in Chicago and North Carolina. Federal authorities pointed to New Orleans’ “sanctuary policies” as one reason for targeting the area.
The Wednesday announcement marked the first official confirmation that Border Patrol agents will soon arrive in south Louisiana.
Here’s what you need to know.
Border Patrol agents march down the streets of the New Orleans Central Business District on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.
Border Patrol descends on downtown New Orleans
Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and a group of Border Patrol agents were seen walking down Poydras Street in the middle of downtown New Orleans on Wednesday evening.
The group had previously arrived in Kenner earlier in the afternoon, conducting several raids and arrests along Williams Boulevard.
First arrests begin in New Orleans area
Immigrant rights groups and eyewitnesses said that federal agents made immigration arrests Wednesday at a handful of large home-building stores in the New Orleans region, as the Trump administration launches a sweeping enforcement operation across south Louisiana.
Spokespeople for Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests to confirm that people were detained.
Agents were also seen traveling down Williams Boulevard in Kenner, detaining people outside of shops and businesses.
Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino arrives in Kenner
Bovino, joined by a caravan of law enforcement officers, arrived in Kenner Wednesday afternoon as the agency began launching its immigration sweeps.
Eyewitness describes Border Patrol raid near Lowe’s
-Lara Nicholson
A man interviewed by The Times-Picayune said he among a group of people looking for jobs between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Wednesday outside the Lowe’s on Elysian Fields Avenue when five Border Patrol vehicles approached the group, asking them if they were “legal” or not. He estimated that 25 agents were at the scene.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous out of fear of being arrested, said several people ran away, and that Border Patrol agents pursued them. He said the agents detained about two dozen people.
Border Patrol was in and out in a span of about 25 minutes, he said. The man was not among those detained.
Law enforcement presence ramps up at home improvement stores
Reports shared on social media by New Orleans-based advocacy group Union Migrante said several local home improvement stores were being targeted by Border Patrol as arrests allegedly began in metro area.
Lowe’s locations on Elysian Fields Avenue and Veterans Boulevard in Metairie and a Home Depot in LaPlace were all listed by Union Migrante as sites where arrests had taken place. Spokespeople for Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
At the Lowe’s in Metairie, a patrol car was surveying the parking lot around noon.
ACLU sues over LA immigration enforcement law
-Meghan Friedmann
The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana sued the state on Wednesday over a new law against interference with immigration officers, arguing it is so broadly written that it impedes on free speech.
The law makes it a crime to “knowingly commit any act intended to hinder, delay, prevent, or otherwise interfere with or thwart federal immigration enforcement effort.”
The lawsuit asks the court to declare that the law violates the First Amendment and to block the state from enforcing it against the Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy, a New Orleans-based organization that offers legal help to immigrants in Louisiana.
In November, the group stopped offering “Know Your Rights” workshops to immigrants because it feared doing so would violate Act 399, the lawsuit says.
Mayor-elect Moreno ‘disturbed’ by Border Patrol activity in other cities
Mayor-elect Helena Moreno said she’s “disturbed” by Border Patrol’s conduct in other cities and that she will do everything within her power to protect New Orleans’ residents and ensure their rights aren’t violated, including by connecting residents with attorneys who volunteered to provide free legal advice.
Speaking at an event for the Women of the Storm at City Park on Wednesday, Moreno also said she worries that Border Patrol agent’s practice of concealing their faces and not wearing identifiable uniforms during immigration raids could cause confusion and lead to violence.
“If you are a masked person and not necessarily identifiable as an officer, you’re coming up on people and grabbing them, it can be a real safety issue for everyone around, including the Border Patrol or ICE agent,” Moreno said.
“Do we want the most violent criminals off of our streets? Absolutely. Yes. I don’t think anyone is going to object to that. We want the most violent criminals off of our streets, whether they’re legal or illegal,” Moreno said. “But what we’ve been seeing across the country and in other cities is that Border Patrol appears to be targeting Brown people and potentially violating even some of their due process rights.”
NOPD chief comments on Border Patrol operations
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said she had been in touch with Border Patrol Wednesday morning, saying New Orleans police and the federal agency have different “missions.”
Kirkpatrick asked residents to stay safe and comply with the law. She urged residents who are here legally to call NOPD if they encounter any issues.
What we know about the operation
DHS officials said Operation Catahoula Crunch would begin Wednesday and last for an indefinite period. It was not immediately clear how many agents would descend on New Orleans, but Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol commander, has been reported to be in charge of the sweeps.
In a statement, a DHS spokesperson said the operation would target “criminal illegal aliens roaming free thanks to sanctuary policies that force local authorities to ignore U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest detainers.”
In their statement, DHS officials highlighted the names and records of 10 people who they say entered the country illegally and were released after committing crimes.
During immigration operations in Chicago and North Carolina, only a fraction of the total arrestees had criminal histories.
Border Patrol agents test drones on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025 at City Park in New Orleans.
Border Patrol commander confirms he’s in New Orleans
-Andrea Gallo
U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, known for leading the agency during its blitzes into other U.S. cities this year, announced on social media late Wednesday morning that he’d joined the effort in New Orleans.
Bovino posted on the social media website X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem saying federal agents had “landed in The Big Easy.”
“We are here arresting criminals who should not be here,” Bovino posted, alongside U.S. flag emjois. “The state, local and federal law enforcement partners in Louisiana are excellent partners!!”
Bovino has come under fire for the agency’s aggressive tactics in other cities, which have sparked lawsuits. Bovino has defended them, saying in past interviews that they use as much force as necessary to make arrests.
-Jerry DiColo
A small group of federal agents with Border Patrol were training drones in City Park on Wednesday morning, attracting the attention of some passersby walking along the park’s trails.
A Border Patrol agent who declined to give his name said that there was not a planned operation in the park today and that the agents were gathered for drone training. He said it was unrelated to the current “Catahoula Crunch” deployment.
Still, the presence of a marked Border Patrol SUV attracted notice, with a few people strolling across the field to ask what was up.
The Border Patrol official said he only came with a marked SUV because that’s the vehicle he had that could fit the required generator.
-Lara Nicholson
Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said Wednesday morning that he has not been given any information from Border Patrol, and that the department is operating as “status quo” unless told otherwise.
“I don’t know when or if the operation has started or when it’s going to begin, but like I’ve always said, we stand ready to assist them if they need our assistance, certainly,” Conely said. “I imagine they’re keeping their operations close to the vest, and I’ll respect that.”
Kenner Mayor Michael Glaser declined to comment.
Conley oversees law enforcement in the city with the largest Hispanic population in Louisiana and has been a vocal supporter of Border Patrol’s deployment into the New Orleans area. Under his leadership, Kenner PD entered into a 287(g) agreement with ICE, a controversial partnership that allows local officers to carry out immigration arrests.
Both Kenner and Gretna’s police departments have 287(g) agreements and have assisted in mass ICE arrests in their respective cities in the last month.
Los Hondurenos, a Honduran restaurant in Kenner, temporary closes its doors as “Catahoula Crunch,’ an immigration enforcement deployment kicks off in the New Orleans metro area.
Kenner businesses close due to Border Patrol fears
-Lara Nicholson
In Kenner, a Jefferson Parish city with a large Hispanic population, businesses began shuttering ahead of expected sweeps.
Saul Alcazar, owner of Cafetomas, said he closed his Uptown location last month due to budget restraints and staffing shortages caused by fear that immigration agents would arrive.
During a break from working the kitchen at his Kenner location, Alcazar pointed out each neighboring restaurant on Williams Boulevard that closed because of Border Patrol’s impending deployment. In all, he estimated as many as 15 nearby businesses that were temporarily shut down.
Despite the fears, Alcaraz is keeping his Kenner location open, despite feeling a “tension outside in the air.”
FBI, State Police to ‘deter assaults on federal officers’
Officials with the FBI and Louisiana State Police announced a joint effort “to deter assaults on federal officers and attempts to obstruct law enforcement actions” as Border Patrol agents begin their operations in the city.
“We will not tolerate assaults on law enforcement officers in Louisiana and there will be consequences,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp said in a statement.
“We will be on the streets and partnered with the Louisiana State Police and additional federal law enforcement to investigate and arrest anyone assaulting law enforcement officers, unlawfully impeding federal law enforcement activity, or assisting anyone to commit this criminal activity.”
FBI officials have set up a tip line, calling for residents to report any criminal activity associated with Cathoula Crunch.
Gov. Landry says operation will target criminal records
Gov. Jeff Landry, speaking on an 8 a.m. radio show Wednesday, claimed the operation would target people with criminal records.
“This is going to run until we get them all off the street,” he said.
The comments echo statements from federal officials.
Immigrant communities fearful
Ahead of Border Patrol’s arrival, Hispanic communities across the greater New Orleans area have been on edge.
Local restaurants, including Mid-City’s Taqueria Guerrero, have shut down in anticipation of the sweeps. Schools in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish have sent messages assuring families that students are safe on campus — an effort to dissuade nervous parents from keeping their children home.
Despite U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s more widely known role in immigration sweeps, Catahoula Crunch will be led by Border Patrol.
Though the two agencies are similar, Border Patrol agents are known to use more aggressive tactics than their counterparts in ICE.
Border Patrol has historically operated in border towns, port cities and along the country’s frontiers, away from urban centers and sites where large protests could form. Their role in immigration sweeps spanning across the country marks a new phase in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement plans.
Blu DiMarco, of the Queer and Trans Community Action Project, speaks at a protest against an impending Customs and Border Patrol immigration crackdown effort in New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Gerald Herbert
New Orleans protest
About 100 people rallied Monday evening in downtown New Orleans to protest the impending immigration raids.
New Orleans has girded for weeks for an operation that, according to internal planning documents, aims to detain up to 5,000 people across a swath of territory stretching north to Baton Rouge and east to Mississippi.
Send tips
If you see Border Patrol or ICE in your neighborhood, please send us the location and any other information by email at newstips@theadvocate.com.