Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
The mayor-elect of New Orleans said Friday that a federal immigration crackdown launched this week is already causing damage as encounters between masked agents and residents, including some captured on video, have prompted a public backlash in the blue city.
Frustrated city officials point to Jacqueline’s case guzmanA 23-year-old US citizen who was returning to his louisiana As he returned home from a trip to the grocery store on Wednesday, a truck stopped and two masked federal agents approached him, according to security footage obtained by The Associated Press.
Guzmán began running away as the second vehicle approached and agents pursued her on the sidewalk until she reached her family’s home in Marrero, across the Mississippi River from the city. new OrleansGuzmán’s mother has lived there her entire life,
“We’re legal, we’re from here, born and raised,” Guzman yelled at the agents. “Don’t follow me, it’s disgusting.”
Several hundred agents led by Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino have converged on southeast Louisiana this week as part of an immigration enforcement operation seeking to arrest 5,000 people. Department of Homeland Security It has publicized dozens of arrests by releasing only limited details. many hispanic Residents have said they feel their community is at risk of being abused or detained by agents regardless of their legal status.
Joined by City Council members, Democratic Congressman Troy Carter, Hispanic leaders and civil rights advocates, Mayor-elect Helena Moreno expressed “deep concern over recent actions” by federal agents. He said the operation is causing harm – businesses are being forced to close and workers are being forced to stay at home for fear of mass arrests.
While federal officials have repeatedly said the goal of the operation is to target dangerous criminals who entered the country illegally, Moreno argued that “that does not appear to be the case.”
Moreno said she is seeking regular public briefings from federal agencies, including data on stops, detentions, charges, warrants, outcomes and whether any of those detained have a violent criminal history.
“Without full visibility of these enforcement actions, it is impossible to determine whether this particular operation is truly targeting the most dangerous criminals,” Moreno said.
Guzmán’s stepfather, Juan Anglin, said he understood that federal agents had a job to do, but he believed they were doing it incorrectly.
Anglin heard his stepdaughter screaming outside and went outside to confront the agents. He told the AP that Guzman fled from agents because she was a young woman surrounded by aggressive masked men.
“Honestly, I thought she was going to be kidnapped,” Anglin said. “I thought someone was going to hurt him.”
In response to the incident, the Department of Homeland Security said Border Patrol was searching for a “criminal illegal alien who had previously been charged with felony theft and unlawful possession of stolen property.”
DHS said agents “encountered a woman matching the description of the target” and that the agents “identified themselves” and left when they realized Guzmán was not who they were looking for.
Anglin refuted the government’s story and said he was stopped only because of his appearance.
“Just because you look brown, you look Hispanic, you will be stopped,” he said. “Because now it doesn’t matter if you have papers, you speak English or you’re a citizen, it’s not enough.”
,
Sarah Kline contributed reporting from Baton Rouge.
,
Brooke is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.