What we're covering here
• The Department of Homeland Security announced today the start of the anticipated immigration operation in New Orleans, dubbing it “Operation Catahoula Crunch.”
• Meanwhile, a new immigration operation targeting undocumented Somali immigrants in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, is expected to begin soon, according to a federal official.
• President Donald Trump said in his Cabinet meeting yesterday he does not want Somali immigrants in the United States, referring to them as “garbage” who should “go back to where they came from.”
• The operations in New Orleans and Minnesota follow immigration crackdowns in several Democratic-led cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Memphis, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
• Trump’s efforts have disrupted every aspect of the immigration system: illegal border crossings have dropped, asylum cases and refugee admissions are halted, and work visas are being restricted.
FBI says it "will not tolerate assaults" on law enforcement during New Orleans operation
The FBI New Orleans field office and Louisiana State Police announced Wednesday a joint enforcement effort to “deter assaults on federal officers and attempts to obstruct law enforcement actions” as the federal immigration operation is underway in New Orleans.
“We will not tolerate assaults on law enforcement officers in Louisiana and there will be consequences,” FBI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp said in a news release.
“We will be on the streets and partnered with the Louisiana State Police and additional federal law enforcement to investigate and arrest anyone assaulting law enforcement officers, unlawfully impeding federal law enforcement activity, or assisting anyone to commit this criminal activity,” Tapp added.
Col. Robert P. Hodges, the state police superintendent, said his troopers would be in uniform and operating marked vehicles “to ensure a visible and coordinated presence.”
“Troopers will take immediate action on all state-level criminal violations involving the assault or battery of any law enforcement personnel—federal, state, or local—as well as incidents involving criminal damage to property,” Hodges said.
New Orleans business remains closed to keep people "safe" as immigration operation begins
A restaurant remains closed for fourth day in order keep its community “safe” amid immigration enforcement activity. Taqueria Guerrero, a Mexican restaurant located in the Mid-City neighborhood in New Orleans, did not open its doors on Wednesday morning.
A social media post from the restaurant said it made the “painful decision to close” due to immigration enforcement “raids.”
“Our hearts are with everyone affected. The safety, dignity, and peace of mind of our staff and our community mean more to us than anything,” the post said, adding, “We refuse to operate in a way that puts anyone at risk or adds to the fear that so many are already feeling.”
On the locked doors of the business, posters warn immigration officials they are not allowed to enter the restaurant without a warrant.
“Thank you for standing with us. Thank you for standing with each other. We love you,” the restaurant said in a post.
Incoming New Orleans mayor sees racial profiling in immigration crackdown
As New Orleans faces a federal immigration crackdown officially announced today, Mayor-Elect Helena Moreno described an atmosphere of fear that has swept across the Crescent City.
“It’s more than nervousness. I mean people are incredibly fearful of what could be coming,” she told CNN.
Moreno says Customs and Border Protection appears to be racially profiling rather than an attempt to arrest violent criminals.
“What they’re seeing on TV and reports that they’re seeing is not that Border Patrol is going after the most violent criminals. That’s not what they’re seeing,” said Moreno. “What they’re seeing is what appears to be racial profiling of brown people and then going after these individuals and treating them like they are these significantly violent offenders.”
“I know that I don’t look Latina, but my father very much does,” Moreno said. “And my father speaks with an accent, so to me, that was very personal to me.”
Despite having limited powers as the mayor-elect, Moreno told CNN she is mobilizing a call to action to try to make sure residents understand their rights if they are detained as well as asking for immigration law experts to volunteer their services.
DHS will seek 5,000 arrests "or beyond" during New Orleans immigration enforcement surge, Assistant Secretary says
The newly launched immigration enforcement surge in New Orleans, dubbed “Operation Catahoula Crunch,” will seek 5,000 arrests “or beyond,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said speaking with CNN’s John Berman on CNN News Central this morning.
“We’re talking about child pedophiles who are on our list of targets, burglars, gang members, rapists — those individuals we are highly targeting,” McLaughlin told CNN.
When asked about comments from President Donald Trump about not wanting Somali immigrants in the United States and referring to them as “garbage” during his cabinet meeting yesterday, McLaughlin cited the data analysis on Somalis in Minneapolis and other parts of the country that suggests there is “widespread fraud, particularly marriage fraud when it come to immigration.”
When questioned about the review done by the Trump administration in April before granting asylum to Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House last week, McLaughlin said asylum applicants should instead be considered as refugees.
“It’s actually a bastardization of the process, because you are letting these individuals in by parole instead of as refugees where there is a cap on those individuals,” she said.
Minneapolis officials promise to protect rights of Somali community
As President Donald Trump criticizes the Somali community in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and promises an immigration crackdown there, local officials are coming to their defense.
“They are our neighbors, our friends, and our family – and they are welcome in our city. Nothing Donald Trump does will ever change that,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey – a Democrat – in a Tuesday press conference.
Frey was joined by the city’s chief of police.
“I know how real the fear is in our community,” said Chief Brian O’Hara. “People are going to want to speak out, to protest, and to exercise their First Amendment rights. Those are the rights of everyone in our community, and I want to be clear that we will absolutely defend people’s rights to do just that.”
Minneapolis City Council member Jamal Osman, a Somali refugee whose family moved to the US 26 years ago, represents the city’s largest East African community.
“Our community has lived through fear in the past. We’re going to stay informed, we’re going to stay safe and we’re going to support each other,” he said.
DHS announces start of New Orleans immigration operation
As anticipated, the Department of Homeland Security today launched a federal law enforcement surge in New Orleans, Louisiana, dubbed “Operation Catahoula Crunch” by the agency.
Targets of the operation will include “violent criminals who were released after arrest for home invasion, armed robbery, grand theft auto, and rape,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
“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 said — a comment on the city’s sanctuary policies which DHS says “force local authorities to ignore U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest detainers.”
Why is the New Orleans immigration crackdown called "Operation Catahoula Crunch"?
The Department of Homeland Security has favored catchy names for its immigration crackdowns in major US cities – including “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago and “Operation Charlotte’s Web” in Charlotte, North Carolina.
But Wednesday’s official announcement of its new operation in New Orleans left many rushing to Google for an explanation.
“Catahoula Crunch targets include violent criminals who were released after arrest for home invasion, armed robbery, grand theft auto, and rape,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement.
So, what does Catahoula Crunch mean? The Catahoula Leopard Dog is the officially recognized state dog of Louisiana, a hunting and herding breed described by the American Kennel Club as having high energy and a tendency to be protective.
The breed typically has distinctive light-colored eyes and spotted fur that gives rise to its “leopard” name. It became Louisiana’s official state dog in 1979, and is said to be the only breed of dog with historical origins in the state.
The National Association of Louisiana Catahoulas warns that although they can be good family dogs, they are not docile pets.
“NALC’s motto is ‘not everyone needs a Louisiana Catahoula’ and we stand by that fact,” the organization says.
St. Paul has already had clashes in the past few weeks. Here's what we've seen
As ICE operations are set to take place in two Minnesota cities, one of those cities has already seen tensions rise in recent weeks.
St. Paul has been named one of the two locations for operations that will target undocumented Somali immigrants, according to a federal official.
And residents in this town have already begun clashing with federal agents during protests, as shown in videos obtained by CNN.
Videos show federal agents deploying tear gas on nearby protesting residents and another officer tackling a protester to the ground.
Here’s a glimpse at the clashes in St. Paul within the past few weeks:
Trump fury at Somali refugees in US focuses on member of Congress
As President Donald Trump ramps up his negative talk about people who came to Minnesota as Somali refugees, he has focused squarely on one member of that community: US Rep. Ilhan Omar.
“Ilhan Omar is garbage, she’s garbage. Her friends are garbage,” Trump said during a cabinet meeting Tuesday.
“I think she’s an incompetent person,” Trump added. “She’s a real terrible person.”
Omar, who came to the US from Somalia as a refugee and moved to Minneapolis in 1997, is a US citizen who has represented Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District since 2019.
Omar has her own record of controversial statements, including a 2012 tweet saying, “Israel has hypnotized the world” and committed “evil doings,” a statement from which she later backed away. But Trump has for years promoted false statements about her, including the untrue claim that she had praised al Qaeda.
In response to Tuesday’s comments from the president, Omar responded on X, “His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.”
First on CNN: DHS recommends travel ban list include at least 10 more countries
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is recommending that the Trump administration’s travel ban list include between 30 to 32 countries, marking an increase from the current list of 19 countries, according to a source.
Nationals of countries on the travel ban list face restrictions on travel to the United States. The source said the list could continue to expand based on ongoing assessments, but it is unclear which countries are being added to the list — and when they’ll be announced.
The recommendation to the White House comes on the heels of the shooting in Washington, DC, that killed one National Guard member and critically wounded another. The shooting suspect is an Afghan national who previously worked with the US in Afghanistan.
Noem said Monday that, following a meeting with President Donald Trump, she recommended a “full travel ban” on “every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.”
The current list of 19 countries with full or partial restrictions include Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The Trump administration has also ramped up its immigration crackdown, citing the shooting in Washington, DC, with the president arguing the current immigration system needs to be overhauled.
New Orleans immigration attorney tells clients to “quarantine like it was Covid-19”
A New Orleans area immigration attorney is advising her clients to “quarantine like it was Covid-19,” ahead of possible immigration enforcement crackdown in the Crescent City.
Clients are also coming into her office to see how they can protect their families.
“Many are seeking legal advice on how to minimize risk and how to prepare their families in case of unexpected encounters. We have seen many parents come in and sign custody by mandate which gives a person temporary custody of children in the event that they are deported,” said Deloach.
“The overall sentiment is a mix of fear, confusion, and exhaustion,” she added.
