Federal immigration officers are pulling out of a Louisiana immigration crackdown and heading to Minneapolis, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. The documents describe the move as an abrupt pivot from an operation that drew protests around New Orleans and aimed to make thousands of arrests.
The shift appeared to signal a wind-down of the Louisiana deployment known as “Catahoula Crunch,” which began in December when more than 200 officers arrived in the New Orleans area. The operation had been expected to last into February, but the documents indicate federal officers stationed in Louisiana were continuing to depart for Minneapolis late this week.
DHS declined to confirm how long any deployment would last, saying, “For the safety of our law enforcement, we do not disclose operational details while they are underway,” in response to questions about whether the Louisiana operation was ending to send officers to Minnesota. The documents were not accompanied by a DHS timeline for any specific move.
The Associated Press reported that Catahoula Crunch began with a target of 5,000 arrests. According to DHS, the operation had resulted in about 370 arrests as of Dec. 18.
In December, DHS deployed the officers for a monthslong sweep in and around New Orleans under Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino, who AP said was also the face of aggressive operations in Chicago, Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina. AP said Bovino has been seen in Minneapolis in the past week, during the transition described in the documents.
At the same time, AP said the Trump administration is surging thousands of federal officers to Minnesota as part of a sweeping crackdown. DHS described the Minnesota effort as the biggest immigration enforcement operation ever, with more than 2,000 officers taking part, AP reported, and AP said the crackdown is tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.
In Minneapolis, the officers have been met with demonstrations and anger after an ICE officer fatally shot a woman on Wednesday, AP said. The Louisiana operation, meanwhile, had also prompted protests around New Orleans and concerns among immigrant communities about the scope and pace of enforcement.
Documents AP previously reviewed indicated that the majority of people arrested in the first days of the Louisiana crackdown lacked criminal records. The documents also said authorities tracked online criticism and protests against the deployment, according to AP’s earlier review.
Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry welcomed the crackdown, while New Orleans’ Democratic leaders called the 5,000-arrest target unrealistic. The Democratic leaders criticized videos that showed agents arresting or trying to detain residents, including a clip AP described as showing a U.S. citizen being chased down the street by masked men near her house.
AP said New Orleans’ Democratic leaders have been more welcoming of a National Guard deployment that President Donald Trump authorized after Landry asked for help fighting crime. It said the troops arrived just before the New Year’s Day anniversary of a truck attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people.
In Kenner, just outside New Orleans, AP said many immigrant-run businesses temporarily closed during the operation to protect customers they feared would be racially profiled by federal officers regardless of their legal status. AP said some restaurants announced they were reopening, and it described one customer concerned about whether officers might return.
Carmela Diaz, a U.S. citizen born in El Salvador, told AP that her Kenner taco restaurant Taqueria La Conquistadora has been shuttered for more than a month. She said, “I’m going to wait and see this week,” and added, “I have a lot of clients who want to eat here.” AP said Diaz remains concerned that immigration officers could return but is considering resuming business soon.