New Orleans next up in Trump admin’s crackdown on illegal immigration

US Border Patrol agents could be seen in the city as early as Saturday, and the operation is slated to go through January, according to a report from Reuters, citing officials familiar with the plans. The operations are expected to decrease during Thanksgiving as well as Christmas.

The Trump administration has been targeting cities and other locales that are run by Democrats and engage in sanctuary city policies. The president has been pushing with the strategy since the summer, first ramping up immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, DC, Portland, and others. In recent weeks, the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, has been the main target of the immigration enforcement operation.

There were earlier reports this month that the Border Patrol would be heading to Charlotte. The New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said that she has met with ICE agents and that she will work with her police department to ensure public safety, but will not be taking part in carrying out the arrests related to immigration.

“Our support is to make sure they are not going to get hurt and that our community is not in danger,” she said, per Spectrum News. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has also ramped up pressure on New Orleans to align the city with immigration enforcement.

The police department in the city was also just released from a consent decree that has shielded the force from participating in immigration operations. The operation will be headed by Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino.