Reuters reports that the Department of Homeland Security will deploy roughly 250 Border Patrol and ICE agents to Louisiana and Mississippi in early December for a large-scale enforcement blitz dubbed “Swamp Sweep.” Internal documents show a target of 5,000 arrests focused on the New Orleans metro area and parishes stretching north to Baton Rouge.
The operation is part of the Trump administration’s broader pivot from border-centric enforcement to nationwide interior actions. Previous surges this year sent agents to Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte; New York City is reportedly next. DHS officials say the deployments are routine law-enforcement, but immigrant-advocacy groups warn of workplace raids and community disruption during the busy holiday season.
![‘Swamp Sweep’: 250 Federal Agents to Target Undocumented Migrants in Louisiana and Mississippi]()
For employers, the message is clear: ensure Form I-9 records are audit-ready and that contractors’ compliance is airtight. Corporate travelers should remind foreign staff to carry proof of status when moving through the region; prior sweeps have led to mistaken detentions of visa holders.
Local police departments are meeting with federal teams this week to plan traffic control and public-safety coordination. Louisiana and Mississippi officials have not yet commented, but hospitality and petrochemical employers—both heavy users of H-2B and TN labor—are bracing for disruptions.
The operation is part of the Trump administration’s broader pivot from border-centric enforcement to nationwide interior actions. Previous surges this year sent agents to Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte; New York City is reportedly next. DHS officials say the deployments are routine law-enforcement, but immigrant-advocacy groups warn of workplace raids and community disruption during the busy holiday season.
For employers, the message is clear: ensure Form I-9 records are audit-ready and that contractors’ compliance is airtight. Corporate travelers should remind foreign staff to carry proof of status when moving through the region; prior sweeps have led to mistaken detentions of visa holders.
Local police departments are meeting with federal teams this week to plan traffic control and public-safety coordination. Louisiana and Mississippi officials have not yet commented, but hospitality and petrochemical employers—both heavy users of H-2B and TN labor—are bracing for disruptions.
