Federal Immigration Sweep Empties Kenner’s Hispanic Businesses, Residents Say Fear and Loss Linger

Kenner, La. — Once-busy Hispanic restaurants and food trucks in Kenner have largely gone quiet as a recent federal immigration operation prompted customers and workers to stay home out of fear of detention. Business owners and residents describe shuttered doors, emptied dining rooms and mounting economic strain in neighborhoods long marked by Spanish-language signs and community activity.

On the Ground

The doors of Carmela Diaz's Taqueria La Conquistadora remain locked, her tables empty and her kitchen idle. Diaz, an immigrant from El Salvador who arrived in 2006 and built a fleet of food trucks and two restaurants, says she has closed locations and is now making home deliveries to customers too frightened to leave their houses.

"Fewer and fewer people came," Diaz said through tears. "There were days we didn’t sell anything. That’s why I made the decision to close the business — because there was no business."

Federal Action and Official Rationale

The Department of Homeland Security began the operation, dubbed Catahoula Crunch, deploying convoys of federal vehicles through Kenner’s main commercial corridors. Officials described the campaign as part of a broader enforcement surge in multiple U.S. cities and said it aims to remove violent offenders; DHS has also said the overall effort targets roughly 5,000 arrests.

Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino visited Kenner flanked by agents in tactical gear as the operation commenced. A DHS spokesperson said agents had made dozens of arrests and asserted those detained included suspects with histories of violent crimes.

Community Concerns and Local Response

Residents — including U.S. citizens with undocumented relatives — report widespread fear and uncertainty. Sergio Perez, a Guatemalan-born U.S. citizen who has lived in Kenner since 2010, said the sweep has left many in the community feeling unwelcome and anxious that anyone who appears Hispanic could be targeted, regardless of immigration status.

Kenner, located just west of New Orleans between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, has seen its Hispanic population grow since the mid-2000s; Hispanics now make up about 30% of the city's residents. Local officials have said the operation is under federal jurisdiction and that they expect all agencies to act lawfully and professionally. Still, the Kenner Police Department is among hundreds of local agencies that have agreements with ICE to hold detainees for possible deportation, a fact that compounds community worry.

Economic and Human Toll

Business owners describe steep declines in customers and sales, with some temporarily or permanently closing. Community members emphasize the broader human impact beyond immigration status: lost wages, interrupted schooling, and the emotional toll of living under fear.

Attribution: Reporting compiled from The Associated Press. Additional contributions noted by AP reporters on the story.