US immigration officials launched a sting operation in New Orleans on Wednesday to arrest immigrants who are in the US illegally, federal officials said. The city thus became the latest target in Trump’s campaign for stricter immigration control.
The US Department of Homeland Security said the operation would target felons who had been released from local custody because of city policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Republican President Donald Trump has ordered similar actions in Democratic-controlled cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, DC, with the goal of increasing deportations to record levels.
Residents and local officials in the towns affected by these operations have expressed opposition, saying the arrests involved many people without criminal records and that heavy-handed tactics were used that threatened the safety of citizens.
The operation in New Orleans is expected to last until the end of the year, although the scope of the operation is still not completely clear. Trump announced during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the National Guard would be deployed to the city in the next few weeks.
Some New Orleans residents were already bracing for the possibility of being profiled and detained. At a family restaurant on Tuesday, a woman set up makeshift beds for family members to sleep in and avoid possible arrest by federal agents while commuting from home to work.
Last month, a federal judge struck down a 2013 agreement that limited New Orleans police’s ability to assist federal immigration officials. Still, New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said in late November that the city would not enforce federal immigration law.
In August, the US Department of Justice designated New Orleans as a “sanctuary city” on a published list. The action in the city of about 384,000 comes after an operation led by the Border Patrol in Charlotte, North Carolina.
(Vijesti.ba)
