The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it is surging immigration agents into New Orleans, making it the latest sanctuary-city target for President Trump’s mass deportation effort.
It’s been dubbed Operation Catahoula Crunch, and its stated goal is to track down illegal immigrants U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has wanted to deport but were shielded by the city’s policy limiting cooperation with ICE.
The Department of Homeland Security released a list of potential targets they said had been released by local authorities despite being in the country illegally and having criminal entanglements.
“Sanctuary policies endanger American communities by releasing illegal criminal aliens and forcing DHS law enforcement to risk their lives to remove criminal illegal aliens that should have never been put back on the streets,” said Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
New Orleans follows Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; and Charlotte, North Carolina, in being where ICE has made concerted efforts to search out illegal immigrants.
The Chicago effort appears to have come to an end early last month.
Media organizations and activists who had sued Homeland Security over its use of riot-control tactics asked a federal judge this week to drop their lawsuit, saying the situation has calmed down remarkably.
They said senior Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino, who has been leading the surges in the various cities, has been gone for nearly a month.
“Since defendant Bovino and his agents left the Northern District [of Illinois], plaintiffs’ counsel has not received a single report of unconstitutional behavior that necessitated this case since November 8, 2025,” the lawyers for the activists told the court.
Mr. Bovino has been the center of complaints about zealous immigration enforcement — and has drawn legal spankings from several federal judges.
He had teased an upcoming operation on social media.
“Hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen, immigration enforcement is going next level,” Mr. Bovino posted.
Ms. McLaughlin said it is “asinine” for jurisdictions to release illegal immigrants with criminal charges or convictions back into communities rather than turn them over to ICE for deportation.
“Catahoula Crunch targets include violent criminals who were released after arrest for home invasion, armed robbery, grand theft auto and rape,” she said.
