At least 200 border patrol agents to flood New Orleans in coming weeks, report says

More than 200 Border Patrol agents are expected to arrive in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the coming weeks, according to a report.

The Big Easy could soon become the next target of the Trump administration’s federal immigration agenda, sources told ABC News.

Exactly when the federal agents could be touching down in New Orleans is not immediately apparent. However, speculation has swirled for weeks that agents were heading for Louisiana’s largest city, following similar immigration operations in Chicago, Los Angeles, and most recently, Charlotte.

“Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country. We do not discuss future or potential operations,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told The Independent in a statement.

Last week, the Associated Press reported that DHS was planning to carry out Operation “Swamp Sweep,” to arrest about 5,000 people across southeast Louisiana and into Mississippi. This immigration crackdown is expected to begin on December 1, the outlet reported.

Unlike the administration’s past immigration targets, which targeted blue cities in blue states, New Orleans is a city led by Democratic Mayor LaToya Cantrell in a state led by GOP Governor Jeff Landry.

In September, Landry requested to activate the state’s National Guard to address “ongoing public safety concerns.” Last week, speaking about Swamp Sweep, the governor told NewsMax: “I don’t know what all the fuss is about, because we work with our federal agencies all the time to take dangerous criminals off the street.”

The Independent has asked the mayor and New Orleans Police for comment on DHS’ reported plans.

Earlier this month, the New Orleans Police Department said Anne Kirkpatrick, its superintendent, planned to meet with Customs and Border Protection officials.

“Superintendent Kirkpatrick has said that she welcomes U.S. Border Patrol to New Orleans, as the NOPD does with all of our federal law enforcement partners,” the spokesperson told The Hill. “However, the NOPD will simply be assisting and will not be taking part in any arrests of undocumented or illegal aliens as this is a civil matter and not under the purview of the NOPD.”

Some local businesses have expressed their objections to the potential presence of federal immigration agents by posting signs on their windows that read: “NO ICE ACCESS IN THIS BUILDING.”

“This is a private business. You are not permitted to enter non-public areas of this business,” the message reads. “You may not question employees or search the premises without proper legal authority.”

Schools in New Orleans and the surrounding area have sent messages to families that their students are safe on their campuses, hoping to prevent panic, Nola.com reported.

Greg Bovino, the commander-at-large of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, didn’t mention New Orleans, but boasted about “next level” immigration enforcement in a social media post Saturday: “Hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen, immigration enforcement is going next level.”