Louisiana politicians weigh in on Border Patrol agents coming to New Orleans

As southeast Louisiana braces for the potential arrival of U.S. Border Patrol agents, local Democratic lawmakers are speaking up.

Sen. Royce Duplessis (D-New Orleans) said this is just another attempt to vilify and terrorize the immigrant community.

“The only thing that I see coming from this is the same thing we're seeing happening in other blue cities across the country where this is happening, which is confusion, terror and chaos for not only the Hispanic immigrant communities, but for the entire local community,” said Duplessis.

DHS to send 250 border agents to New Orleans for major immigration sweep; see details

Jack Brook (The Associated Press)

Federal agents are set to conduct a two-month immigration crackdown starting Dec. 1. The operation aims to arrest around 5,000 people across southeast Louisiana and Mississippi.

Duplessis also pointed out that the “Swamp Sweep,” which reportedly aims to arrest roughly 5,000 people, is not about deterring crime because border agents are not working in conjunction with local law enforcement.

New Orleans Councilman-elect Matthew Williard said he’s heard rumors border agents will target schools and bus stops.

“I can't imagine what an experience like we've seen on the news from Border Patrol encounters in other states would have with a child who has to carry that for the rest of their lives,” Williard, a former New Orleans state representative, said.

Rep. Aimee Freeman (D-New Orleans) fears border agents will go beyond public places.

“What I'm afraid of is that they're going to go into people's homes, which just doesn't seem like anything but a police state to me, and that's scary,” said Freeman.

In sharp contrast, Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a strong warning for anyone who impedes border agents.

"Be Advised: It is against Louisiana law to obstruct ICE or Border Patrol. The penalty for Obstruction of Justice or Malfeasance in Office may include imprisonment with hard labor and thousands of dollars in fines," Murrill in an official statement on social media site X.

Freeman said she fears Operation Swamp Sweep is not about taking criminals off the streets.

“ If this is really about illegal citizens doing those kinds of behaviors, they should be arrested,” said Freeman. “But if you're gonna do a sweep and just pick up people because they look Hispanic or they possibly don't have the right Green Card in their pocket, or they don't have their U.S. citizen papers in their car, that's actually not a way to run a country.”

Freeman said due process is a constitutional right for all — citizens and noncitizens.

“We're going to arrest people and then ask questions later to find out if they're a citizen of the United States of America. There's no due process,” said Freeman.