Immigration Agents Deploy to New Orleans and Twin Cities, Seeking to Arrest Thousands

The Trump administration deployed federal Border Patrol agents across immigrant communities in the New Orleans area Wednesday, calling it “Operation Catahoula Crunch.” Gregory Bovino, a senior Border Patrol official who has been the face of President Trump’s mass deportation campaign, was seen patrolling the city’s French Quarter. A New Orleans resident told the Associated Press he watched agents arresting men outside a home improvement store. The Trump administration says it’s seeking to arrest 5,000 people during the surge. It comes as Immigration and Customs agents have begun a mass arrest campaign in Minnesota targeting Somali American communities in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. The raids follow a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday in which Trump called Somalis “garbage.” Trump then doubled down on his racist rhetoric Wednesday.