By Naveen Athrappully

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) New Orleans field office arrested 2,824 illegal immigrants in November and deported 11,870 from the country, it said in a Dec. 11 post on X.

Among the arrested were gang members, including two from Tren de Aragua and five from MS-13. Both transnational organizations were designated as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists by the State Department in February. In addition, 11 members from other gangs were arrested as well, ICE New Orleans said.

In a Dec. 11 statement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it had arrested more than 250 criminal illegal immigrants in New Orleans since the launch of Operation Catahoula Crunch on Dec. 3.

Arrested individuals include a Guatemalan national who has been convicted of felony sexual battery of a minor, a Honduran illegal previously arrested for armed robbery and aggravated battery with a dangerous weapon, and a Mexican who was earlier arrested for domestic abuse battery.

“For too long, the sanctuary policies of New Orleans have endangered the lives of the citizens and visitors of its beautiful city,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said.

Sanctuary jurisdictions are places where local or state officials refuse to enforce federal immigration laws or cooperate with federal immigration authorities. New Orleans is one of the cities listed as a sanctuary jurisdiction, according to an Aug. 5 statement from the Department of Justice.

“It is asinine that the very politicians elected to serve the great people of New Orleans have allowed gang members, repeat offenders, sex criminals, and violent abusers to walk their streets and terrorize their citizens,” McLaughlin said.

“DHS will continue arresting these scumbags until every criminal illegal alien has been removed from the streets of New Orleans.”

The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions in New Orleans have faced pushback from Democrats.

Helena Moreno, the Democratic mayor-elect of New Orleans, has criticized the enforcement surge and published a “Know Your Rights” guide on her website, detailing how to interact with immigration officers.

For illegal immigrants, the guidance says: “You have the right to remain silent and do not have to discuss your immigration or citizenship status with the police, immigration agents, or other officials. Anything you tell an officer can later be used against you in immigration court.”

The guidance advises people who are outdoors and see immigration officers nearby to move to a “safe indoor space.”

In a recent statement, Moreno called on the legal community to provide whatever assistance they can to “preserve individual rights.”

“My first priority is to keep our community safe. The reports of due process violations and potential abuses in other cities are concerning. I want our community to be aware and informed of the protections available under law,” she said.

On Dec. 3, the FBI announced a joint effort between the agency’s New Orleans field office and the Louisiana State Police to “deter assaults on federal officers and attempts to obstruct law enforcement actions” amid enhanced immigration enforcement by the DHS.

Back in September, DHS announced a new partnership with Louisiana to expand ICE detention space by adding up to 416 beds. This was possible due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump, which provided funds for 8,000 new beds for ICE.

“Louisiana Lockup will give ICE the space it needs to lock up some of the worst criminal illegal aliens—murderers, rapists, pedophiles, drug traffickers, and gang members—so they can no longer threaten our families and communities,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said at the time.