To understand what’s at risk, we must start with the history. After Katrina, President George W. Bush suspended the Davis-Bacon Act, a move that cut wages on federal contracts and created enormous demand for cheap labor. That decision drew tens of thousands of migrants to the Gulf Coast.
Jefferson Parish became the epicenter of this transformation almost overnight. Migrant laborers filled the most dangerous jobs: clearing debris, gutting flooded homes, repairing roofs, hauling Sheetrock and sanitizing hospitals. Many stayed because h needed them, and because they built communities here — churches, soccer leagues, restaurants, construction firms and family businesses that now anchor entire commercial corridors.
This legacy is not a footnote. It is the foundation on which recovery stands. And it makes the current surge in enforcement not only misguided but self-defeating.
While the New Orleans region shares a deep Latin American and Caribbean identity, Jefferson Parish embodies the contemporary expression of that legacy. It now holds Louisian’s largest Hispanic population and a rapidly growing cluster of Hispanic-owned businesses: restaurants in Kenner, construction firms in Metairie, logistics companies in Gretna.
ICE raids disrupt all of that. They push workers into hiding, destabilize small businesses and fracture trust in law enforcement. Recent workplace sweeps in Louisian have targeted civil immigration violators, not violent offenders.
In several cases, ICE arrested dozens of workers while identifying only a handful with prior criminal records. Meanwhile, families with U.S.-citizen children have faced rushed deportations by the New Orleans Field Office, signaling a shift toward indiscriminate enforcement that places fear above public safety.
The economic risks extend beyond labor markets. The region’s universities rely on international and immigrant students who contribute significantly to the local economy. As federal and state authorities increase data-sharing and compliance demands, those students now worry about collateral enforcement.
Jeffery A. Tobin
Tourism — the area’s largest export industry — cannot thrive alongside images of armored vehicles and tactical teams patrolling the streets. A region that markets itself as open, creative and culturally unique cannot afford a reputation for heavy-handed federal policing.
These choices also collide with democratic self-government. New Orleans just elected its first Hispanic mayor, a milestone that reflects the region’s changing identity and future. Yet the federal response has been to escalate immigration raids as if the metro area were a threat rather than a partner.
The New Orleans metro deserves better. Mayor-elect Helena Moreno and parish leaders across Jefferson, Orleans and St. Bernard should present a unified front that opposes indiscriminate raids and insists on targeted enforcement that focuses on genuine threats to safety — not workers, students and families.
Local governments should expand municipal ID programs, protect student data and strengthen community-based legal support. And Louisian’s congressional delegation should match its rhetoric about international partnership with action at home: press the Department of Homeland Security to pull back from workplace dragnets, limit tactical deployments and align federal enforcement with regional economic priorities.
Recovery began with migrant workers. The future depends on them too. A region built by immigrants should not live in fear of the very government that once relied on their labor.
Jeffery A. Tobin is a partner and senior advisor with Pan-American Strategic Advisors.