Catahoula Crunch: Federal Agents Sweep New Orleans in 5,000-Arrest Crackdown

NEW ORLEANS — Federal agents swept through neighbourhoods across New Orleans last week as Operation “Catahoula Crunch”, a two-month immigration enforcement campaign, got under way with several hundred federal officers on the ground and a Department of Homeland Security target of at least 5,000 arrests. But records reviewed by The Associated Press show only 38 people were detained in the first two days — and fewer than a third had any criminal history — while authorities quietly monitored message boards around the clock.

Key Points

• Operation Catahoula Crunch began on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, led by Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, with several hundred federal agents across south-east Louisiana.
• The Department of Homeland Security aims to make at least 5,000 arrests over the two-month operation — a target city leaders call unrealistic.
• Only 38 people were arrested in the first two days; fewer than a third had criminal histories, and the department has publicly detailed only six arrests.
• An Associated Press review found authorities monitoring message boards around the clock for public “sentiment”, while releasing few details about who has been detained.
• Mayor-elect Helena Moreno said on Friday, November 6, that the crackdown is already causing harm.

What Happened

Federal agents began sweeping New Orleans on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, in an operation the Department of Homeland Security calls “Catahoula Crunch”. Several hundred agents were deployed on the ground, and the operation stretches from New Orleans through Jefferson, St. Bernard and St. Tammany parishes toward Baton Rouge.

The department aims to make at least 5,000 arrests over two months, an average of more than 80 a day. The early numbers show how far short of that pace it is running: only 38 people were arrested in the first two days, and it has publicly detailed only six of those arrests, all people with criminal histories. It has released no accounting of the other detainees.

Video showed masked agents chasing Jacelynn Guzman, 23, a US citizen, as she walked home from a grocery store on Wednesday. The department said its agents were seeking a man charged with felony theft and left when they realised Guzman was not the target. Mayor-elect Helena Moreno raised the episode on Friday, saying the crackdown is already causing harm.

Background and Context

The New Orleans operation is the latest large-scale immigration enforcement push by the Trump administration, which has made mass deportations a central plank of its second term. The administration has repeatedly said its sweeps are targeted at “criminal illegal aliens”.

But the records reviewed by the Associated Press tell a different story about who has been picked up. Officials were admonished not to distribute the arrest figures to the media, and the bulletins warned the criminal-history breakdown “should not be distributed to the media”. Democrats, who swept Congress on November 3, have promised investigations of the administration’s enforcement tactics from January.

Catahoula Crunch: Inside the Two-Month Operation

The operation is led by Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, with several hundred agents from Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Alongside the arrests, authorities have mounted a round-the-clock effort to track what the public is saying about the crackdown.

The FBI and Customs and Border Protection have stationed agents at the Louisiana State Analytical and Fusion Exchange, an intelligence centre tracking discussions on the online forum Reddit, where residents have exchanged information about the raids. “Online opinions still remain mixed, with some supporting the operations while others are against them,” said one briefing circulated early on Sunday.

The surveillance has extended well beyond threats: the fusion centre has tracked whistle handouts, training on filming federal agents and a hotline for reporting arrests. The briefings have identified no threats to law enforcement, and the centre debunked false online reports that a pedestrian had been fatally struck by officers. A separate operation, “Swamp Sweep”, is planned for Louisiana and Mississippi from December 1, with about 250 agents.

Reactions and Quotes

“It confirms what we already knew — this was not about public safety, it’s about stoking chaos and fear and terrorizing communities,” said state Senator Royce Duplessis of New Orleans. “It’s furthering a sick narrative of stereotypes that immigrants are violent.”

City Council President J.P. Morrell said the stated goals did not match reality. “There’s literally no information being given to the city of New Orleans whatsoever,” he said.

The Department of Homeland Security did not answer the Associated Press’s questions about the intelligence gathering, referring it to a prior release touting “dozens of arrests”. A department spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, defended the crackdown, saying: “Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens harming them, their families or their neighbors.”

“They can monitor me all they want,” said Rachel Taber, an organiser with the advocacy group Union Migrante. “We are not doing anything illegal.” Governor Jeff Landry welcomes the operation, and House Speaker Mike Johnson supports it.

Why It Matters

The gap between what the operation promised and what it has delivered goes to the heart of the debate over the immigration crackdown. If a sweep billed as a hunt for violent criminals is mostly detaining people with no record beyond traffic offences, critics argue, it is a dragnet, not targeted enforcement. The surveillance is a second concern: tracking protest organisers raises questions about free speech, when the briefings themselves have identified no threats to law enforcement.

What Happens Next

Catahoula Crunch is expected to run for up to two months, into early January 2027, and Swamp Sweep begins on December 1 across Louisiana and Mississippi with about 250 agents. Local officials are pressing for an accounting of who has been detained. The department has released details of only six arrests, and has not said whether it will publish a fuller list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Operation Catahoula Crunch?

It is a two-month immigration enforcement operation that began in New Orleans on November 4, 2026, led by Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino. The Department of Homeland Security aims to make at least 5,000 arrests.

How many people have been arrested so far?

Only 38 people in the first two days, according to law enforcement records reviewed by the Associated Press. Fewer than a third had criminal histories, and the department has publicly detailed only six arrests.

Why are authorities monitoring social media?

Authorities say they track message boards for threats to agents, and also compile updates on public “sentiment”. The briefings have identified no threats to law enforcement.

Who is Jacelynn Guzman?

Jacelynn Guzman, 23, is a US citizen who was chased by masked federal agents as she walked home from a grocery store on Wednesday, November 4. The department said its agents were seeking a man charged with felony theft and left when they realised she was not the target.

What is Swamp Sweep?

Swamp Sweep is a separate enforcement operation planned for Louisiana and Mississippi from December 1, 2026, with about 250 agents.

Related: 66 lawmakers urge Trump administration to cancel Afghan deportation flights via Pakistan • Mullin says US deportations will continue despite Democrats’ midterm sweep • Democrats gear up for immigration fight as Miller promotion signals no let-up