Anti-ICE protesters storm New Orleans council meeting, unleashing chaos amid immigration crackdown

A New Orleans metropolis assembly gathering descended into chaos Thursday arsenic anti-ICE protesters stormed the chamber, shouting down officials and clashing with constabulary implicit the motorboat of a large national migration enforcement surge present underway crossed southeast Louisiana.

The outburst came 1 time aft the Department of Homeland Security announced "Operation Catahoula Crunch," a two-month national inaugural deploying 250 Border Patrol agents to New Orleans and surrounding areas. The operation, referred to by protesters arsenic "Swamp Sweep," has intensified backlash from immigrant-rights groups and triggered increasing unrest astatine metropolis hall.

Protesters began gathering extracurricular City Hall astir 9:30 a.m., holding signs, chanting done megaphones, and denouncing the operation. When officers aboriginal allowed demonstrators into the assembly chambers, tensions escalated immediately.

Several protesters marched toward the podium and attempted to speak, but assembly members chopped them off, saying their comments were unrelated to the docket item. The country erupted, with shouts of "Shame!" and "Coward!" echoing done the chamber, until assembly members abruptly suspended the gathering and walked out, leaving protesters to instrumentality implicit the room.

DHS LAUNCHES NEW IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN OPERATION IN NEW ORLEANS

Anti-ICE and Border Patrol agitators are removed by New Orleans Police Department officers aft disrupting a assembly gathering astatine City Hall successful New Orleans, Louisiana, connected Dec. 4, 2025.  (Adam GRAY / AFP via Getty Images)

Roughly 30 to 40 protesters refused to comply with repeated constabulary orders to leave. Officers began escorting radical out, and successful 1 heated moment, an serviceman physically lifted a protester and carried him from the enclosure arsenic others screamed successful outrage.

"Shame connected you! He’s a peaceful protester!" 1 pistillate yelled. "You don’t resistance radical retired similar that — it’s criminal!"

Another protester confronted officers adjacent the enclosure doors, yelling, "Our radical are nether onslaught and you resistance him out? Who bash you enactment for?"

DHS LAUNCHING MASSIVE IMMIGRATION OPERATION IN LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI: 'SWAMP SWEEP'

New Orleans constabulary officers transportation a antheral retired of metropolis hallway aft helium participated successful a protestation against the deployment of national agents successful the metropolis during a metropolis assembly gathering connected Dec. 4, 2025, successful New Orleans, Louisiana.  (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)

Outside the barricades, activists flipped disconnected officers and shouted obscenities portion constabulary held their positions down a metallic gate. As of Thursday afternoon, nary arrests oregon detentions had been reported.

Inside the chamber, protesters broke into a sustained chant, shouting, "No ICE! No KKK! No racist USA!"

The Department of Homeland Security says Operation Catahoula Crunch is aimed astatine removing "criminal amerciable aliens roaming escaped acknowledgment to sanctuary policies" that forestall section authorities from honoring ICE apprehension detainers.

WATCH: Anti-ICE protesters dragged retired of New Orleans City Hall

In a sharply worded statement, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said sanctuary policies "endanger American communities by releasing amerciable transgression aliens and forcing DHS instrumentality enforcement to hazard their lives to region transgression amerciable aliens that should person ne'er been enactment backmost connected the streets."

She continued, saying it was "asinine that these monsters were released backmost onto New Orleans streets to COMMIT MORE CRIMES and make much victims."

McLaughlin besides emphasized that Operation Catahoula Crunch is focused connected offenders she described arsenic "violent criminals who were released aft apprehension for location invasion, equipped robbery, expansive theft auto, and rape," adding that "under President Trump and Secretary Noem, we are restoring instrumentality and bid for the American people."

AS ICE READIES ‘SWAMP SWEEP,’ MISSISSIPPI PLEDGES TO AID—NOT BLOCK—FEDERAL CRACKDOWN

Thursday’s confrontation came aft a Monday objection extracurricular City Hall, wherever dozens gathered to reason the impending sweep. According to section outlet WWNO, Monday’s lawsuit featured affectional speeches accusing DHS of retraumatizing migrant communities.

One demonstrator told the assemblage that "we were hurting, we were abandoned and alternatively of help, we got soldiers with rifles," adding that the assemblage needs "housing, wellness care, existent jobs, not soldiers."

Another protester grew affectional portion shouting astir a deceased household member, saying, "You can’t crush the occurrence of idiosyncratic who’s already gone."

Organizers connected Monday accused national authorities and section constabulary of "targeting susceptible communities" and vowed to proceed demonstrating "for arsenic agelong arsenic Operation Swamp Sweep remains successful effect." 

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WWNO reported that Monday’s lawsuit was organized by the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, with enactment from Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Indivisible NOLA, Union Migrante and others.

DHS has fixed nary extremity day beyond confirming the cognition is expected to tally for astir 2 months.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send communicative tips to [email protected].