METAIRIE, La. (WVUE) – Along a busy stretch of David Drive between Veterans Boulevard and West Napoleon Avenue, several storefronts have signs and posters saying ICE and Border Patrol agents are not welcome inside.
The signs spread across the New Orleans metro area after reports of Border Patrol starting operation “Swamp Sweep” this month. The Associated Press reported the operation will involve 250 federal agents seeking to arrest 5,000 undocumented immigrants in Louisiana and Mississippi over the next two months.
Business owners such as Nain Cruz say the reported operation has many fearing harassment and racial profiling.
“If they actually show up here, you can’t come inside,” Cruz said. “Sorry. I know my rights and you’re not allowed to be here.”
Cruz was born in Honduras but has been in the U.S. for the past 16 years and is now an American citizen. He says foot traffic at his Jireh Barber Shop already was slow this year with an uptick in immigration enforcement across the region.
After the announcement of “Swamp Sweep,” he said his sales took a nosedive.
“If this keeps going like this, I am going to sell this business, because I’m not going to keep fighting against the current,” Cruz said.
This week on X.com, a user posted a video of various storefronts along David Drive that have the anti-immigration agent posters in their windows or doors.
State Sen. Blake Miguez (R-New Iberia) responded to the post, writing, “Hey ICE this might be a good place to start.”
Miguez did not respond to Fox 8’s request for comment on the online exchange.
Miguez has been a proponent of increased immigration enforcement in Louisiana. In 2024, he supported passage of a law banning “sanctuary city” policies in the state and allowing local law enforcement to engage in some immigration enforcement duties.
Mayra Pineda, head of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana, said she worries that “Swamp Sweep” will go beyond targeting criminal immigrants and would involve the arrests of workers, parents and others in the Hispanic community who might not have their paperwork in order, or whose immigration status remains pending.
She said the potential for harassment by Border Patrol agents is a major concern for those even with legal residency and citizenship.
“We don’t know if our rights are going to be respected or guaranteed. And I don’t think anyone wants to go through that process,” Pineda said.
Some Hispanic businesses temporarily close due to operation ‘Swamp Sweep’
First amendment attorney Scott Sternberg said posted signs won’t protect a business, its employees or customers if agents have access to a public space in the business or if they arrive with a court order authorizing a search.
“You can put the sign up all you want. Maybe they’ll obey it, maybe they won’t,” Sternberg said. “You have every right to say, ‘Hey, you need to come back with a warrant.’ Chances are they will.”
Nain lamented the impact “Swamp Sweep” already is having on Hispanic-owned businesses in the area.
“How many businesses have to close?” he asked. “And not just the barber shops, but the Latino grocery stores? They’re going to shut down.”
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