New Orleans police recruit arrested after being discovered to be illegal immigrant

Federal immigration agents arrested a New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) recruit this week, removing him from service and prompting questions about how the department screens candidates, after it was revealed the recruit was an illegal immigrant who had been ordered to be removed from the country.

NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said Wednesday (Jan. 28) that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents took the recruit into custody “this morning, or sometime in the last 24 hours.” She declined to identify the recruit, saying ICE would provide further details.

According to Kirkpatrick, the recruit applied to join the NOPD in June 2025 and was later cleared through the department’s standard background and employment checks. She said the department was “blindsided” by the arrest, adding, “There was nothing that was in the (personnel) packet that would have reason to believe that this person did not have legal status.”

Kirkpatrick explained that ICE informed the department an immigration judge had ordered the recruit removed from the United States months after he applied, with the removal order dated Dec. 5, 2025. She noted that during the hiring process, the recruit presented a valid driver’s license and Social Security number and had reportedly lived in the US for about a decade.

Kirkpatrick also said the recruit had no criminal background based on the department’s checks and that he passed E-Verify, an electronic system used by many employers to confirm work authorization at the time of hiring. “At that time, he may still have had a legal status, I don’t know,” she said, adding that ICE has offered to help the department better understand what indicators to look for in future immigration-related cases.

According to Fox 8, the incident occurred as the NOPD continues to struggle with recruitment and retention, a challenge that has strained the department for years. Kirkpatrick emphasized that regardless of staffing pressures or personal views, agencies have distinct responsibilities and must follow the law. “It’s not an issue of ‘feeling,’” she said. “Everybody in law enforcement has different missions. ... If I swear an oath, it means I will follow the law. My feelings don’t matter.”

The recruit surrendered without incident, Kirkpatrick said, and she was told he would not receive a bond hearing and would instead enter the removal process.