9 December 2025
By Jasmine Robinson
Contributing Writer
(Veritenews.org) — Restaurants that cater to the throngs of tourists who visit New Orleans annually are preparing for heightened immigration enforcement as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) are carrying out sweeps in the city.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced on last Thursday, December 4 that its operation targeting “criminal illegal aliens” had begun.
The Associated Press initially reported in November that 250 Border Patrol agents would conduct immigration sweeps in Louisiana and Mississippi starting Dec. 1. The operation will last two months and DHS plans to arrest 5,000 people, according to the AP.
The threat of increased immigration enforcement has created unease for New Orleans’ service industry, which relies on immigrant workers. Restaurants and other hospitality businesses are facing the possibility that they might be targeted by federal agents in raids and other enforcement operations. For hospitality workers who are vulnerable, going to work poses the risk of being arrested.
“I can’t even imagine the [question] of, ‘Do I go to work and risk being taken, or do I stay home and not make money and then my family suffers.’ That is such a crazy choice to have to make,” said Jolie Gautreau, a bartender at Blue Oak BBQ.
Immigration sweeps in Chicago created staffing shortages and safety concerns, according to reporting from Block Club Chicago. In Charlotte, it brought widespread fear among restaurant employees and patrons, the Charlotte Observer reported.
“I’m just hoping it’s not as bad as we’re all concerned about. I don’t have high hopes for that, though, based on what we’ve already seen elsewhere,” Gautreau said.
At least one restaurant has closed its doors in response to the heightened enforcement in New Orleans when Taqueria Guerrero, a Mexican restaurant in Mid-City, announced last month on Sunday (Nov. 30) that it would temporarily close as to not put anyone at risk.
“I think it’s fair to say that what makes the New Orleans dining scene as a whole so incredibly unique is being threatened,” said Kristin Sparks, co-owner of Annunciation Restaurant.
Latino communities have been most targeted by federal immigration sweeps in other cities. The same is expected in New Orleans.
In 2024, 14 percent of the population in metro New Orleans was Hispanic, according to census data cited in a report from The Data Center. Nine percent of New Orleans’ population was Hispanic and Jefferson Parish had the highest Hispanic population at 20 percent. In fact, Hispanics accounted for the vast majority of growth in the metro area from 2010-2020, according to the report.
Hispanic workers made up 15.7 percent of workers in greater New Orleans’ service industry in 2024, according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
“New Orleans is basically a melting pot, and so the contributions that they lend to our community, whether it’s, you know, in the workforce or in our culture and our food. I mean, they play a vital role in that,” Sparks said.
Sparks said she hasn’t received much guidance from elected officials, the New Orleans Police Department, or hospitality industry leaders on how to prepare for law enforcement potentially targeting restaurants.
New Orleans & Company, the city’s marketing arm for tourism, sent a statement to its hospitality members on Nov. 19 addressing the impending crackdown. The statement emphasized that New Orleans is accustomed to local, state and federal law enforcement coordinating their efforts.
“New Orleans is committed to being a safe and welcoming city for our residents and visitors. Many crime statistics are at record lows and we applaud the ongoing efforts of the NOPD, Louisiana State Police and all the other local, regional, state and federal partners that support their efforts,” New Orleans & Company President and CEO Walt Leger said in the statement.
“Local businesses and organizations are required to comply with the lawful requests of law enforcement officials, including CBP and ICE agents, but it is ok to ask what agency they represent and validate their credentials,” Leger added.
Restaurants are preparing for the possibility that federal agents could enter their establishment to conduct an audit of its employees or carry out a raid.
When Caitlin Carney, owner at Porgy’s Seafood Market, first heard reports about federal agents coming to the city, she was initially uncertain how to prepare and protect her employees who could be vulnerable.
She considered joining other businesses by putting signs in the windows saying that ICE and other federal agents aren’t welcome inside, or that immigrants are safe in their restaurants.
“At first I was like, I didn’t want to put anything up outside because, like, I didn’t want to be encouraging any entry [by agents]. I wasn’t really sure, and so I was just putting up ‘do not enter’ signs and making sure everybody had protocol in their pockets,” Carney said.
But she was encouraged to post signs as a show of unity. She also received guidance from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center on how to prepare for a visit from federal agents.
“They gave me a lot of facts about what’s legal and what’s not, and what’s working in other cities and what’s not, and also I was then able to have them tell my Spanish speaking employees exactly what they told me, so that it was very, very clear,” Carney said.
Others have taken a tougher stance against federal agents potentially entering their establishments.
“We’re instructed not to let them in the building, not to serve them any food. They’re not allowed in here, they’re not welcome in here,” said Shawn Clark, a manager at Toups’ Meatery.
The Louisiana Restaurant Association published a news release addressing potential immigration enforcement at businesses. The release said that federal agents can legally enter public areas such as dining rooms, but cannot enter back-of-house areas like kitchens without a judicial warrant. LRA says agents will likely request I-9 forms and employers should be prepared to present them upon request.
“Business owners and managers should know their rights and be prepared to document any interactions with enforcement agents,” the news release said.
Guidelines published in January by the National Restaurant Association’s Law Center outline how hospitality establishments can prepare for heightened immigration enforcement, specifically from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The organization encouraged employers to be in I-9 compliance and establish a rapid response plan in the event of an ICE visit. It said that if enforcement occurs, it’s likely that law enforcement will only initiate an audit of employees. In this case, it said employers should contact legal counsel immediately and gather and verify documents.
If a raid occurs, the organization suggests that employers request a warrant from agents, and to monitor but not interfere with the raid.
Protests in opposition to the operation have already begun in New Orleans. Mass ICE arrests have recently occurred in New Orleans at the Lowe’s on Elysian Field on Dec. 3, at a Home Depot in Gretna on Nov. 26 and at a boat launch in Kenner on Nov. 8.
This article originally published in the December 8, 2025 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.