Federal immigration agents have descended on New Orleans in an operation the Department of Homeland Security calls “Operation Catahoula Crunch,” explicitly aimed at removing criminal aliens the agency calls the “worst of the worst” from a city that has long struggled with violent crime. This is not a theoretical exercise — federal officials say they intend to make thousands of arrests to restore basic public safety in neighborhoods where parents worry about their children being preyed upon.
Rather than back victims and support federal partners, New Orleans City Councilmember Lesli Harris has publicly framed immigration as a civil matter and argued the city should shield immigrant families from ICE, even questioning the claim that there are thousands of violent offenders to remove. Her rhetoric — echoed on CNN and in city statements — plays straight into the open-borders playbook that prioritizes political optics over the safety of American kids and working-class families.
Louisiana’s Republican attorney general has not minced words: he warned local police leadership they risk breaking state law if they refuse to cooperate fully with ICE and Border Patrol, and he cited potential malfeasance charges for officials who stand in the way. That legal pressure is exactly what should happen when local politicos adopt policies that obstruct enforcement and allow violent predators to remain on our streets.
Federal officials claim the sweep could seek up to 5,000 arrests over a two-month window, and agents have been going after people at worksites and shipyards — the kind of targeted enforcement that actually takes criminals off the corner and out of playgrounds. City leaders who pretend these are harmless roundups are either willfully blind or indifferent to the realities of criminal violence, and their softness sends a dangerous signal to would-be offenders.
The public reaction in New Orleans has been predictable: protests and fear-mongering from activist groups while families and small businesses face disruption and threats to safety. Conservatives should be clear-eyed — defending the rule of law and prioritizing the protection of children and neighborhoods is not xenophobia, it is common sense; Democrats who side with sanctuary politics are siding with chaos, not compassion.
If Democrats in city halls and on cable news truly cared about the vulnerable, they would support sensible enforcement that targets violent criminals and works with local communities to protect victims, not provide cover to those who prey on our kids. Patriots who love their country and value law and order must demand accountability from elected officials who reflexively side with lawbreakers — our children and our neighborhoods deserve nothing less.
