Louisiana law enforcement agencies may soon be carrying out duties usually reserved for federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforement (ICE) agents.
On Thursday, Louisiana Republican Governor Jeff Landry issued an executive order launching “Operation GEAUX,” directing state law enforcement agencies to “explore, and where appropriate, enter into” agreements with the Department of Homeland Security under it’s 287(g) program. That program allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to give state and local law enforcement agencies the authority to carry out ICE duties.
“If you’re here illegally and you engage in criminal activity, you are going to be deported or sent to jail,” Landry said in a statement accompanying the order.
According to the order, Operation GEAUX will include “enhanced screening, aggressive identification, and a massive public awareness campaign that is going to wake people up.”
President Donald Trump has urged expansion of the program in spite of concerns from immigration advocates that state and local law enforcement officers do not receive adequate training to carry out ICE functions appropriately. According to the nonprofit American Immigration Council, the 287(g) program “has historically targeted individuals with little or no criminal history, and has harmed the relationship between police and local communities.”
In 2024 the Amercian Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and others called for an investigation into the New Orleans ICE Field Office after finding widespread abuse and inhumane treatment of immigrants at facilities across Louisiana. According to the report, the New Orleans ICE Field Office routinely failed to comply with ICE’s minimal standards of care, and found violations of both federal and international human rights violations.
“We’ve heard horrific stories over the last two years, stories that have been corroborated by extensive documentation.” said Sarah Decker, staff attorney at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights in a release accompanying the report.
Louisiana is already one of the largest centers of immigrant detention in the country, with over 6,000 detainees in Louisiana. The state is also home to the only ICE facility in the U.S. directly connected to an airport.
According to Landy, Louisiana had an estimated 97,000 illegal immigrants as 2021 – just over two percent of the state’s 4.5 million population.
“President Trump has made it clear that illegal immigration has no place in America, and we want to ensure this is a reality in Louisiana,” Landry said.
