The aim of the operation is to capture immigrants who were released after arrests for crimes such as home invasion, armed robbery and rape, Homeland Security Department Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
Federal agents have launched high-profile crackdowns on criminal illegal aliens in cities including Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina. Another operation is expected in the coming days in Minnesota.
Louisiana Gov. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry has singled out crimes in which the suspect’s immigration status is in question, such as the killing of a French Quarter tour guide by a group that included a Honduran man who entered the country illegally.
The Trump administration also has taken aim at the city’s immigration policies.
“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.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has accused New Orleans of undermining federal immigration enforcement. The Department of Justice includes New Orleans in a list of 18 cities it considers to be providing sanctuary to immigrants without legal status.
