Louisiana will enforce new interference law during immigration sweeps. Here’s what to know.

As federal border patrol agents begin an immigration crackdown in southeast Louisiana, Republican state leaders are warning people that they could face criminal consequences for interfering with the border patrol or ICE under a new state law passed this year.

But the bounds of the broadly written law , which makes it a crime to knowingly commit any act “intended to hinder, delay, prevent, or otherwise interfere with or thwart federal immigration enforcement efforts,” remain untested.

Such an action would now be considered an “obstruction of justice” under state law. Breaking the law would carry a penalty of up to six months in prison if the offense involves an official act of a government agent, and up to one year in prison if it involves a civil immigration proceeding.

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