United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say they arrested four undocumented immigrants at a shopping center on the Westbank. Those arrests, ICE officials say, are not tied to the upcoming operation dubbed "Swamp Sweep."
WWL-TV reports that the Gretna Police Department arrested those immigrants who allegedly entered the United States illegally. In addition, ICE says several of the arrested immigrants had criminal records, including one who is accused of being a member of the MS-13 gang.
Video of the arrest also raised constitutional questions after a Gretna police officer attempted to enforce a 25-foot buffer zone in accordance with a law approved by the Louisiana Legislature in 2024. However in January, a federal judge blocked enforcement of that law on First Amendment grounds. Gretna police officials told WWL-TV that the officer was not enforcing the buffer zone. Rather, they say the officer was trying to remove a person he believed was "an agitator" from the scene. Gretna Police Department superiors say they've reminded officers that the 25-foot buffer zone law is not in effect and cannot be enforced.
For more, read here.