WASHINGTON, D.C. — This weekend, the Trump administration deployed federal agents to conduct yet another round of state-sanctioned violence in our communities—this time, in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans is celebrated for being a vibrant, diverse city with a substantial tourism industry largely powered by service workers and immigrants. The ongoing abductions have created widespread fear, keeping children from their classrooms, breadwinners away from their jobs, disrupting supply chains, and forcing immigrant-owned businesses to shutter their doors. Yet again, we see the Trump administration bring cities and states to a standstill, creating chaos and economic instability, to fuel an indiscriminate and violent mass deportation agenda.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the City of New Orleans relied on thousands of immigrant workers to support rebuilding and restoration efforts. Today, while immigrants make up just nine percent of New Orleans’ population, they account for 12 percent of the labor force. Now, the Trump and Landry administrations are teaming up to punish those hardworking, deeply rooted families with mass abductions, arrests, detentions, deportations, and rampant terror—despite Louisiana residents ranking immigration concerns as one of their lowest priorities, according to a 2024 survey by Louisiana State University.

Said Nicole Melaku, executive director, National Partnership for New Americans: “With increasingly violent tactics, it’s clear that these raids are not for the people’s benefit, safety, or stability. They are meant to spread fear and chaos, bring our communities and local businesses to a standstill during a cost-of-living crisis, and inflict overwhelming and unchecked executive power over entire states and cities. As raids continue in New Orleans, and ramp up in the Midwest, we encourage individuals and families—regardless of their status—to know their rights when interacting with federal enforcement officers and seek legal guidance.

“To our members of Congress: There have now been six major American cities that a sitting president has violently targeted using federal forces and the U.S. military. We need Congressional leadership now to enact oversight of the executive branch, ensure transparency, prevent violent abuses of power, and protect our communities.”

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The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) is a multi-ethnic, multiracial coalition of 88 of the nation’s largest immigrant and refugee rights organizations with reach across over 42 states. Together with our members, we advance immigrant and refugee equity and inclusion, build and expand immigration legal services and integration programming capacity, and drive campaigns that strengthen democracy through increased civic participation. See our website for more information at partnershipfornewamericans.org.