New Orleans does not want or need a mass immigration-enforcement operation. Recent events in Chicago and Charlotte show how these operations spread fear and chaos without making communities safer. When residents feel hunted, trust in public institutions collapses, and nobody is more vulnerable than children, workers, and families trying to live peaceful lives.
Raids at daycares, schools, hospitals, worksites, and public spaces only push people into the shadows. Victims and witnesses stop reporting crimes because they fear detention. Parents keep kids home. Workers disappear from job sites. Courts, classrooms, and businesses suffer. Nothing about this promotes public safety.
And here in Louisiana, one of the most alarming issues is the complete lack of coordination from federal officials. Local law enforcement, city leadership, and state agencies have not been given clear communication, advance notice, or operational plans. As NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told the media not long before ICE personnel arrived here in large numbers. “Yes, I am expecting them to come. But can I tell you they’re coming Friday? No, I can’t tell you that.”…