KENNER, La. (NewsNation) — As federal immigration agents settle into New Orleans for their next enforcement operation, suburban neighborhoods outside of the city are already seeing an abundance of activity.
In Kenner, 18 miles outside of New Orleans, U.S. Border Patrol agents working under Commander Gregory Bovino have begun targeted enforcement operations that have led to arrests. In a community where 30% of the residents are immigrants, federal agents have found a law enforcement partner willing to help.
Unlike previous immigration crackdown operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina, where city police departments took a hands-off approach, Kenner police officers are at the ready, prepared to enforce immigration laws. Police Chief Keith Conley, who has been in his role since 2022, told NewsNation that his department has been actively cracking down on crime while also targeting criminal migrants who the Trump administration considers “the worst of the worst.”
The Kenner Police Department signed 287 (g) agreements with the federal government this year. In March, the department opened its jail for detained migrants until they can be moved to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.
The department signed a Task Force Model agreement in October, which allows its officers to work with federal immigration officers in going after targeted migrants.
“Our SWAT team, our tactical teams, have been on standby around the clock in case we get the call that we’re needed,” Conley told NewsNation. “We’ve helped (federal law enforcement) before …They called us for our TAC teams, and that’s a compliment to us.
“They know that we’re well-trained and we can handle those missions. I’ve had great communication with the commander and with some of his deputies, and they know that we stand ready.”
Border Patrol agents arrived at a Kenner residence Wednesday while several people were working on the roof of the home. The workers included several migrants, who refused to come down from the roof when Border Patrol arrived.
NewsNation cameras captured footage of migrants trying to knock down a ladder to prevent agents from reaching the roof and using pieces of sheet metal to protect themselves. The incident led to one arrest, Border Patrol officials told NewsNation.
Agents also arrested a Vietnamese national, Binh Van To, who was previously convicted of aggravated rape, robbery and kidnapping and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. He served a portion of his sentence before being released on parole, Homeland Security officials said in announcing the arrest.
Sources told NewsNation that 24 arrests were made during the first full day of the Louisiana enforcement operation Wednesday. Federal officials have announced that they hope to make about 5,000 arrests during the Lousiana operation, which would surpass those made during two months in Chicago.
However, not everyone in the region is supportive of the presence of hundreds of federal agents who are expected to remain in the region for an undetermined amount of time. Among those opposing the operation is the American Civil Liberties Union, which said that the organization has taken notice of previous operations in Chicago and Charlotte.
“We are building a legal shield, a network of power and a strategy to protect immigrant families, advocates, and our own constitutional order,” the ACLU said in a statement provided to NewsNation.
While Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, is fully behind the operation, New Orleans Mayor-elect Helena Moreno, a Democrat, remains apprehensive. Moreno, a Mexican American, has taken notice of what has happened in previous immigration crackdowns in other Democratic-led cities.
She says she will work to ensure that the rights of New Orleans residents are not violated. In Chicago, the Border Patrol’s actions led to lawsuits involving the use of force by Bovino’s agents, which included the deployment of tear gas and other nonlethal weapons.
The Chicago operation led to more than 4,000 arrests, many of which are being challenged after lawyers argued that federal agents did not have warrants for those arrests or detained people with no criminal background. Meanwhile, federal immigration agencies have defended the use of force and the arrests, saying many of those taken into federal custody had previously been ordered to leave the United States.
Moreno has voiced similar concerns to those held by Illinois elected officials, saying that she is worried about the federal agents and officers wearing masks and not identifying themselves during operations, saying it could cause confusion and lead to violence.