In New Orleans, immigrants are staying home and hiding out as city braces for Border Patrol operation

The downtown skyline is seen behind rebuilt homes and vacant lots where homes once stood in the Lower Ninth Ward on August 26 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

In New Orleans, people are used to having their resilience tested.

There was Hurricane Katrina , the BP oil spill , a major hotel collapse , a vicious early pandemic surge and a terror attack during the 2025 New Year’s celebrations.

Now immigrants and organizers say they’re preparing for what feels like may be another disaster heading for their community: Top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino and roughly 250 federal agents are expected to launch an immigration enforcement operation in the city starting the first week of December, according to two sources familiar with the planning. Advocates