A federal immigration crackdown began Wednesday in New Orleans under an operation that a Homeland Security official said would target violent criminals, expanding the Trump administration’s sweeps that have unfolded in other U.S. cities. The operation aims to capture immigrants released after their arrests for crimes like home invasion, armed robbery, and rape, according to Homeland Security Department Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. While the number of agents deployed was not disclosed, Louisiana has been preparing for weeks for such a crackdown, which Republican Governor Jeff Landry supports.

Sanctuary policies endanger American communities by releasing illegal criminal aliens and forcing DHS law enforcement to risk their lives to remove criminal illegal aliens that should have never been put back on the streets, McLaughlin stated. The Trump administration has previously initiated similar crackdowns in major cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Charlotte. Landry, a close ally to Trump, is aligning state policies with the White House's immigration enforcement agenda.