The Trump administration’s planned immigration enforcement crackdown in New Orleans could start as early as Dec. 1, Department of Homeland Security sources told CBS News on Tuesday.
The administration is planning to send roughly 200 federal Border Patrol agents to New Orleans, the next target of its far-reaching, nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration, according to internal government documents obtained by CBS News and reported on last week.
The plans would make the Big Easy the latest Democratic-led city to be in the crosshairs of President Trump’s mass deportation campaign, spearheaded in part by green-uniformed Border Patrol agents who have been directed to enforce that crackdown far away from the U.S.-Mexico border.
This past week, Border Patrol agents led by controversial commander Gregory Bovino launched a series of immigration roundups in the Charlotte area. As of Tuesday morning, Border Patrol had recorded more than 200 arrests as part of that operation, which the Trump administration has dubbed “Charlotte’s Web,” a DHS official familiar with the data told CBS News.
A DHS official said Border Patrol’s operation in Charlotte is expected to wind down this week.
Previously, Bovino and teams of Border Patrol agents conducted sweeping immigration raids in Chicago and Los Angeles, arresting suspected unauthorized immigrants at Home Depot parking lots, worksites and other locations across those metropolitan areas.
Border Patrol’s operations in these Democratic-led cities have sparked protests and tense confrontations with local residents, and accusations that federal agents have been heavy-handed and have engaged in racial profiling.
Trump administration officials have denied those claims, saying arrests are based on suspicions that individuals are in the U.S. illegally, not their race. It has also rejected criticism that federal agents’ use of force has been excessive, citing attacks against law enforcement officials. Bovino told CBS News last month his agents’ use of force in the Chicago operation had been “exemplary.”
In the case of New Orleans, Border Patrol is setting its sights on a city with a Democratic mayor but a Republican governor. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry is an ally of Mr. Trump’s who has worked with the administration on immigration enforcement.
The internal plans obtained by CBS News indicate Border Patrol requested armored vehicles and special operation teams for the operations in Charlotte and New Orleans.
