Federal immigration officers are being pulled out of a crackdown in Louisiana and redeployed to Minneapolis, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press. The operation, dubbed “Catahoula Crunch,” began in December with over 200 officers deployed to the New Orleans area, aiming to make 5,000 arrests. However, the operation has resulted in only around 370 arrests as of mid-December.
The shift appears to signal a wind-down of the Louisiana deployment, which had sparked protests and fear in immigrant communities. The Trump administration has been surging thousands of federal officers to Minnesota under a sweeping new crackdown tied to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. More than 2,000 officers are taking part in what the Department of Homeland Security has called the biggest immigration enforcement operation ever.
The officers in Minneapolis have faced demonstrations after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a woman on Wednesday. Documents indicate that federal officers stationed in Louisiana were continuing to depart for Minneapolis late this week. The Department of Homeland Security declined to disclose operational details, citing officer safety.
In December, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino led the Louisiana operation, which heavily targeted the Hispanic enclave of Kenner, leading immigrant-run businesses to close. Records showed that most of those arrested lacked criminal records, and authorities tracked online criticism and protests. Republican Governor Jeff Landry welcomed the crackdown, but New Orleans’ Democratic leaders criticised the 5,000-arrest target as unrealistic and condemned videos showing agents arresting residents, including a US citizen chased by masked men.
New Orleans' Democratic leaders have been more welcoming of a National Guard deployment authorised by President Donald Trump after Landry requested help fighting crime. The troops arrived just before the New Year’s Day anniversary of a truck attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people.
