New Orleans officials blast immigration crackdown as video shows agents chasing young US citizen

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: A sweeping federal immigration enforcement operation in southeastern Louisiana has triggered sharp criticism from city officials in New Orleans.

The crackdown, part of a broader effort targeting undocumented immigrants, has been met with public outrage, particularly after a video surfaced showing agents chasing a US citizen.

Tensions are rising between federal authorities and local leaders over the tactics and scope of the operation. 

Jacelynn Guzman chased by ICE agents

On Wednesday, a 23-year-old US citizen, Guzman, was walking home from the grocery store in Marrero, a neighborhood across the Mississippi River from downtown New Orleans.

A pickup truck pulled up beside her, and two masked federal agents approached.

Security camera footage obtained by reporters shows Guzman running in fear as a second vehicle arrived and agents pursued her down the sidewalk until she reached her family’s home.

In the video, she can be heard shouting, “We’re legal, we are from here, born and raised … Don’t chase me, that is disgusting.”

Her stepfather, Juan Anglin, was alerted by her screams and confronted the agents. He said Guzman fled because she was a young woman surrounded by aggressive masked men, and he feared she could be harmed or even kidnapped.

Federal authorities later said that they had been searching for a “criminal illegal alien” previously charged with felony theft and possession of stolen property.

They claimed the agents “encountered a female matching the description of the target,” identified themselves, and left once they realized Guzman was not the person sought.

Anglin disputes the government’s narrative. He and others argue that Guzman was stopped solely based on her appearance because “you look brown, you look Hispanic,” and that being a citizen or speaking English was “not enough.”

Helena Moreno and community voices concern

The response from city leadership was swift and firm.

Helena Moreno, the mayor‑elect of New Orleans, along with city council members, civil‑rights advocates, and Hispanic community leaders, expressed “deep concern over recent actions” by federal agents. 

Moreno argued that the enforcement campaign is already causing harm businesses are shutting down, workers are staying home, and residents are living in fear of mass arrests.

Federal officials say the crackdown involving several hundred agents under the command of US Border Patrol aims to arrest up to 5,000 people thought to be undocumented immigrants with criminal records.

But Moreno and other local leaders demand greater transparency.

They are calling on federal agencies to hold regular public briefings that include data on stops, detentions, charges, warrants, outcomes and especially whether those detained had violent criminal histories.

Without such information, Moreno says, “it is impossible to determine whether this particular operation is actually targeting the most dangerous offenders.”

Meanwhile, Guzman’s stepfather and many in the community say the operation feels less like targeting criminals than indiscriminately targeting people, including citizens based on appearance.