The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched the ‘Catahoula Crunch’ immigration operation in New Orleans on Wednesday, continuing the increased deployment of federal forces in cities governed by Democrats, with a focus on detaining migrants from Central America and Mexico.
Although the agency did not specify which agencies would participate, local media reported the upcoming arrival of Border Patrol agents, as occurred last month in North Carolina, when authorities detained 200 migrants in the ‘Charlotte’s Web’ operation.
Migratory operation Catahoula Crunch begins
CBS News’ @KatiWeis spoke Wednesday to Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino on the streets of New Orleans, where he says several hundred CBP officers are conducting an immigration enforcement crackdown.
Bovino says he plans to be in the area until “the mission’s accomplished,”… pic.twitter.com/S4AE2bz1ai
– CBS News (@CBSNews) December 4, 2025
The DHS said in a statement that the ‘Catahoula Crunch’ operation in the largest city in the southern state of Louisiana will focus on detaining migrants with criminal records, showing images of nationals from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Jordan and Vietnam, who were allegedly released because of “sanctuary policies”.
“Sanctuary policies endanger American communities by releasing criminal aliens and forcing DHS agents to risk their lives to remove illegal criminal aliens who should never have been released back onto the streets,” said Tricia McLaughlin, deputy secretary of DHS.
The deployment of federal agents has shaken a state with about 223,000 immigrants, nearly one in five of whom are from Honduras, and about one-eighth are from Mexico, according to data from the American Immigration Council.
Latino restaurants and businesses have announced closures on their social media sites amid fears that workers or customers will be detained in the raids, while activists have questioned whether agents are targeting migrants with criminal records.
“I am deeply angry that friends, partners and everyone in New Orleans will see firsthand how this cruelty and chaos is being imposed on people who deserve dignity and, in many cases, simply a process to adjust their status. There is a better way,” commented in X Todd Schulte, president of the FWD organization.
The deployment also shows the increasing operatives of the Donald Trump Administration in cities led by Democrats, such as the current mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell, who in 2026 will yield the office to Helena Moreno, who was born in Mexico, and in November expressed her “concern” about the eventual operation.
In addition, Trump announced Tuesday the upcoming deployment of the National Guard to New Orleans months after a request from Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, to deploy the military body to “fight crime.”
“Governor Landry, a great guy, a great governor, he’s asked for help for New Orleans and we’re going to go there in a couple of weeks,” the president advised during a cabinet meeting at the White House.
The operations seek to replicate what happened in June in Los Angeles and in September in Chicago, which sparked citizen demonstrations.
Filed under: Migratory operation Catahoula Crunch begins
With information from EFE