Overview
- Arrest totals remain unclear, with an AP-reviewed memo showing 38 arrests in two days while Border Patrol told Fox News the tally is about 150, and DHS has publicly cited only “dozens.”
- Agents have expanded operations beyond New Orleans into Baton Rouge, Slidell and Covington, with eyewitnesses reporting window-smashing detentions and new arrests this week.
- Commander Gregory Bovino has maintained a high public profile, and texts attributed to him describe creating a “massive disturbance” and running license plates at a Kenner apartment complex.
- DHS highlights arrests of people with serious convictions, but independent reporting indicates many detainees lack such records, including only nine with criminal histories among 38 early detentions.
- Protests have been comparatively subdued as local police cooperate, yet businesses report hiring struggles and attendance has declined at schools and Spanish-language church services.