New Orleans police rejected claims that they violated federal immigration law after a recruit was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, setting off a dispute over federal enforcement and local hiring processes.
Federal agents arrested New Orleans police recruit Larry Temah in a case described by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which said he remained in custody and awaited deportation. DHS said Temah is a 46-year-old Cameroonian national who had received a final order of removal signed by an immigration judge in December, and that he was detained while he was in the department’s police academy.
DHS said Temah entered the United States in 2015 on a visitor visa and received conditional residency in 2016 after marrying a U.S. citizen. DHS also said his application for permanent residency was denied in 2022 “due to fraud,” and a DHS spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, said Tuesday that “Criminal illegal aliens have no place in our communities — especially on our police forces.”
New Orleans Police Department spokesperson Reese Harper said the department disputed DHS’s account of what happened and how. Harper said Tuesday that DHS made “misleading” statements about Temah’s case, adding that the NOPD had confirmed Temah’s employment eligibility through a DHS verification system. Harper said the department was never notified that ICE was seeking to detain Temah until the day of his arrest, and he said, “New Orleans is not a sanctuary city,” while adding, “Any claim that NOPD knowingly violated the law is false.”
Harper also said the department did not issue Temah a gun because he was still completing the police academy requirements. Temah was several months away from graduation at the time of the detention.
The dispute comes as federal immigration enforcement has focused on New Orleans and surrounding areas. The case was described as arising in the aftermath of “Operation Catahoula Crunch,” a sweeping immigration crackdown centered around New Orleans that launched in December, with reporting indicating it appeared to be on pause after some federal agents were redirected to Minneapolis in early January.
The administration of President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused New Orleans of undermining federal immigration enforcement, and Louisiana passed legislation seeking to force the city to collaborate with ICE. The NOPD has said immigration enforcement is a civil matter outside its jurisdiction.
In a separate account of the department’s hiring process, Chief Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters last week that no issues with Temah’s legal status had emerged during the hiring process. Kirkpatrick said Temah had lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years, held a valid driver’s license and Social Security card, and had no criminal history. “We did the due diligence,” Kirkpatrick said during a Jan. 28 press conference.
The Associated Press reported that DHS directed the outlet to a press release and did not immediately respond to requests for comment about why Temah had been eligible for employment on ICE’s verification system or about how DHS determined he engaged in fraud. Temah could not be reached for comment. The NOPD did not provide information about Temah’s legal representation when asked, and the Fraternal Order of Police in New Orleans did not immediately respond to a request for comment.