Operation Catahoula Crunch began in New Orleans with disturbing videos showing federal agents targeting construction workers
A disturbing new video from the Department of Homeland Security's “Operation Catahoula Crunch” in New Orleans shows U.S. Border Patrol agents targeting construction workers actively working on a roof.
Federal agents arrived in New Orleans on Wednesday to begin DHS immigration enforcement. That made Louisiana's most populous city the next target of the president's immigration crackdown.
In announcing the operation Wednesday, DHS said federal agents would target “criminal illegal aliens who move freely thanks to protective measures.” New Orleans has been a sanctuary city since 2016 and prohibits local police departments from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
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“Sanctuary policies endanger American communities by releasing illegal criminal aliens and forcing DHS law enforcement officers to risk their lives to remove criminal illegal aliens who should never be put back on the streets,” said DHS Acting Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “It’s stupid that these monsters were released back onto the streets of New Orleans to commit more crimes and create more victims.”
“Catahoula Crunch's targets include violent criminals released after being arrested for home invasion, armed robbery, grand theft auto and rape,” she added.
Immigration enforcement quickly began in “The Big Easy,” as social media users quickly posted encounters with federal agents in the community.
A video showed federal agents attempting to arrest two construction workers on the roof of a home by pointing guns and other weapons at them and asking the two men to get off the roof.
At one point in the video, one of the workers grabs one of the scrap metals they used for the roof before putting it back down. The agency said the move was seen as an indicator of a pre-attack.
“You can't do this. This is assault and I will shoot,” one of the agents said as the man reached for the metal.
According to Border Patrol, the encounter led to the arrest of an undocumented migrant. They did not provide information about whether the migrants had a history of crime or why they were targeted in the first place.
“During the encounter, several suspected illegal immigrants climbed to the roof of a residence and refused to obey officers’ commands to come down from the roof,” the Border Patrol said in a statement. “To ensure the safety of all involved in this rapidly evolving law enforcement situation, it was decided to pursue the rooftop suspects at a later time and location. Border Patrol agents cleared the scene without further incident.”
Social media users were quick to denounce the clash, with Neumann University professor Molly Ploofkins commenting that federal agents made the arrest “without probable cause – just targeting Hispanic construction workers.”
Others wondered about the legality of federal agents on private property without a warrant.
“So MAGA is cool with federal agents just trespassing on private property without a warrant, boy the Constitution is being trampled,” one user said.
“When have violations of civil (immigration) laws become so advanced that a military response is required? This is not the case. This is so unnecessary. DHS/ICE are domestic enemies of the US Constitution. Here they are confusing those who work the most dangerous jobs in America with unwelcome invaders,” another posted.
It remains unclear how long Operation Catahoula Crunch will last, but DHS says 250 agents will be deployed to make about 5,000 arrests.