'Operation Swamp Sweep': New Orleans prepares for arrival of 250 federal agents in major offensive against illegal immigration

New Orleans will be the next major city to receive a massive deployment of federal immigration enforcement, according to reports from The Hill.

Beginning December 1st, Operation Swamp Sweep will mobilize 250 soldiers and agents in New Orleans and other areas of Louisiana and Missississippi.

The goal is to arrest about 5,000 illegal immigrants in both states. The operation will be led by Border Patrol commanding general Gregory Bovino.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Tricia McLaughlin, declined to give further information about the plan: The department is “not going to telegraph potential operations.”

The fight against illegal immigration

New Orleans thus joins other Democratic-majority cities where raids and operations of this style have already been carried out on a large scale in recent weeks, including Charlotte (North Carolina), Chicago and Los Angeles, as reviewed by the media.

For his part, Louisiana's Republican governor, Jeff Landry, has made the fight against illegal immigration one of the centerpieces of his term in office. In May, he launched "Operation GEAUX," a state program that empowers local police to enforce federal immigration laws and includes stricter controls and awareness campaigns.

At the time, Landry's office stated: "Under this powerful new initiative, Louisiana law enforcement agencies will be empowered to enforce federal immigration laws, giving them the tools necessary to take dangerous, illegal criminals off our street.”

DOJ green light

Additionally, this week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) lifted the federal consent decree that had for years compelled the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) not to fully cooperate with ICE, removing the last legal obstacle to full cooperation with federal immigration authorities.