Rep. Carter Statement for Forum on Federal Militarized Immigration Sweeps

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) released the following statement after speaking at the Democratic forum on the impact of Trump’s immigration raids and mass deportations on U.S. citizens across the country.

His remarks as prepared are below:

“Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to speak. New Orleans welcomes partnership. We do not welcome occupation.

“What is being planned for our region is not real public safety. It is a political stunt wrapped in badges and guns. Up to 250 Border Patrol agents are being lined up to sweep through New Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, even up toward Baton Rouge and into Mississippi – with almost no notice, no transparency and no meaningful coordination with local leaders.

“These are militarized federal agents who:

• Are not trained in our municipal laws
• Are not trained in de-escalation in our neighborhoods
• Do not know our communities, our culture, or our people

“That is a recipe for fear, confusion and mistakes.

“We have already seen what this looks like in other cities. In Charlotte, more than 20,000 children stayed home from school because families were terrified of raids. An American citizen was arrested. In Chicago, there were reports of helicopter deployments and tactics that looked more like a war zone than a neighborhood.

“Now they want to bring that same approach to New Orleans under names like “Swamp Sweep” or “Catahoula Crunch.” There is nothing cute about families living in fear. There is nothing funny about workers being told not to show up on Friday because their boss is afraid they will be picked up and disappeared into a system they do not understand.

“Most immigration violations are civil matters. Yet this operation is being designed and marketed like a paramilitary show of force.

“If President Trump truly wants to help New Orleans and the surrounding parishes, there are real ways to do it:

• Help us recruit and retain well-trained local officers.
• Help fund modern tools, technology, and data-driven policing.
• Help invest in training for de-escalation, mental health response and community engagement.
• Help strengthen the partnership between federal, state and local agencies in a way that is transparent, coordinated and accountable.

“But not like this. You do not build trust by dropping in armed agents who answer to Washington, do not understand local law, and then sweep through commercial corridors and neighborhoods. You do not build safety by driving families into the shadows, emptying out workplaces and classrooms, and creating an atmosphere where people are afraid to call the police when they are victims or witnesses of crime.

“As the Congressman for New Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and the River Parishes, I am saying plainly:

• We will always stand for the rule of law.
• We will always stand for safe communities.
• And we will always stand against tactics that terrorize families and undermine the trust that true public safety requires.

“Our city is not a backdrop for political theater. Our people are not props. If the administration wants to be a partner, then be a partner. Sit down with local officials. Share the plan. Respect our laws, our leadership and our lived reality on the ground.

“Help us. But not this way. Thank you.”

Full video of Congressman Carter’s remarks can be viewed here.

###