Story perspectives

Operation Catahoula Crunch Sparks Protests, Fears in New Orleans

12/5/2025

Summary

Agents Target Immigrants

Operation Catahoula Crunch launched on December 3, 2025, in New Orleans, aiming to arrest 5,000 individuals.
Federal agents detain people in parking lots and residential areas, often without justification, fueling fear among immigrant communities.
Activists say many detainees are workers, not criminals, raising concerns about racial profiling.
Protests erupted at a city council meeting, and leaders opened a Know Your Rights Portal to inform residents during raids.

Summary

Jacelynn Defies Agents

On December 3, 2025, in Marrero, Louisiana, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents chased Jacelynn, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen.
She shouted for them to leave her alone, asserted her citizenship, and described feeling threatened by masked agents in unmarked vehicles.
The incident occurred amid Operation Catahoula Crunch, a large operation with hundreds of agents, prompting concerns and a request for information from the Department of Homeland Security.

History

Historical Context

Operation Wetback, initiated in June 1954 under President Eisenhower, aimed to deport over 1 million undocumented Mexican immigrants, employing military-style tactics. This operation followed the Bracero Program, which had allowed legal Mexican laborers into the U.S. The aggressive enforcement led to community fear and racial profiling, echoing contemporary operations like Catahoula Crunch, raising concerns about civil rights violations and ongoing tensions between law enforcement and immigrant communities.

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Agents Target Immigrants

Operation Catahoula Crunch launched on December 3, 2025, in New Orleans, aiming to arrest 5,000 individuals.
Federal agents detain people in parking lots and residential areas, often without justification, fueling fear among immigrant communities.
Activists say many detainees are workers, not criminals, raising concerns about racial profiling.
Protests erupted at a city council meeting, and leaders opened a Know Your Rights Portal to inform residents during raids.

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