The Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration expanded sharply on Wednesday, Dec. 3, hitting New Orleans and the Minneapolis–St. Paul—two cities with long-established immigrant communities now bracing for mass arrests. While federal officials insist the sweep is targeting violent offenders.
A federal immigration crackdown has begun in New Orleans, with Homeland Security officials confirming the operation will target violent offenders.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the goal is to arrest immigrants who have previously been arrested for “home invasion, armed robbery and rape.”
“These crackdowns,” she said, “target illegal aliens who should never have been put back on the streets.”
Part of a nationwide Trump-era deportation effort
The New Orleans operation expands the Trump administration’s mass deportation strategy, which has already begun in cities like Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Another sweep is expected in Minnesota, targeting Somali immigrants. Since January, federal agents have been raiding communities large and small.
Political background and local tensions
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a strong Trump ally, has been preparing for weeks. He said the operation would go after “the worst of the worst, criminal illegal aliens who have broken the law.”
“It started today,” Landry said in a radio interview, “and it’s going to run until we get them all off the street.”
The deployment comes amid continuing tensions in New Orleans over immigration, despite the city’s reliance on thousands of Latino workers in the years after Hurricane Katrina.
The Sanctuary City Controversy
Federal officials have repeatedly criticized New Orleans for what they describe as sanctuary-style policies.
McLaughlin argued, “Sanctuary policies threaten American communities by releasing illegal criminal aliens.
Attorney General Pam Bondi also accused the city of obstructing enforcement. The Justice Department includes New Orleans on its list of 18 sanctuary jurisdictions.
The city management emphatically rejects these claims. Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick insisted that immigration matters do not fall under the purview of local police: “Immigration enforcement is a civil matter outside my jurisdiction.”
Massive multi-agency deployment
The exact number of federal agents in New Orleans remains unclear, but planning documents show a months-long crackdown covering southeastern Louisiana and Mississippi, led by aggressive Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovin.
The plan aims to arrest 5,000 people.
Governor Landry also said he expects National Guard troops to arrive before Christmas to support crime-fighting efforts.
Louisiana State Police and the FBI said they will work together to protect federal officers and prevent attempts to obstruct law enforcement.
Minneapolis–St. Paul deportation raid
The Trump administration launched an immigration operation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Area, a senior law enforcement official, told NBC News. The confirmation follows earlier reports that a crackdown was planned in the region, which is home to one of the largest Somali communities in the United States.
Trump targets Somali community
The enforcement effort comes one day after President Donald Trump launched an incendiary attack against Minnesota’s Somali population at the end of a cabinet meeting.
“They should go back to where they came from,” Trump said, adding that Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was “garbage.”
“I don’t want them in our country,” he continued. “Someone will say, ‘Oh, that’s not politically correct.’ i don’t care I don’t want them in our country. Their country is not good for some reason.”
Ilhan Omar answers
Congresswoman Omar commented on the comments about X: “His obsession with me is terrifying. I hope he gets the help he so desperately needs,” she wrote.
Omar’s family fled the civil war in Somalia, spent years in a Kenyan refugee camp, and later immigrated to the US, where she eventually became a citizen and one of the first Somali-American members of Congress.
The Trump administration has suspended immigration applications from 19 countries, including Somalia.
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