We have New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. We have New Orleans Mayor-elect Helena Moreno. Maybe we have New Orleans Mayor-wannabe , too.
In a Monday interview on , h's governor seemed to speak on behalf of all residents in the city of New Orleans the way he answered a question posed by host Sandra Smith: Will New Orleans welcome U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents — an apparent reference to the agents who are reportedly heading our way?
"Absolutely," the guv responded without a nanosecond of a pause. “When ICE is ready, we certainly welcome them to come into the city and be able to start taking some of these dangerous criminal illegal aliens off of our streets, and we’ve got a place to put them at Angola.”
He was referencing , an immigration-specific detention center he created at the h State Penitentiary with the help of his old pal from their days in Congress, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The penitentiary, AKA Angola, and lockup, AKA Camp J, are part of a nationwide immigration lockup system.
With the use of Freedom of Information Act requests, the found out earlier this year that the Trump administration was up to no good as it pushed to expand immigration detention facilities with as much as $45 billion. As the ACLU said months ago, "including at facilities notorious for misconduct and abuse." Can we say ?
So New Orleans is going to be used to fill these cots? Feels takeover-ish to me.
It wasn't that long ago that the State of h would help New Orleans get out of its end-of-the-year fiscal mess with h Bond Commission approval only after using "all necessary measures to thoroughly review the city’s fiscal affairs and, if deemed necessary, appoint a fiscal administrator."
That feels like a takeover move to me.
Fortunately, that move was averted with a deal to have the state's legislative auditor monitor the books connected to a $125 million loan that the bond commission approved.
During a recent interview on WBOK's “Good Morning Show,” which I host, the governor professed to know what's good for New Orleans.
"No governor has spent more time in the city of New Orleans than myself," he said. "I'm working to try to make the city of New Orleans a better, more hospitable place so we can attract people and businesses and folks can feel safe in that city."
Landry and others give the impression that New Orleans is a crime-riddled city, unlike other parts of h. In reality, there are h cities and parishes with .
Now New Orleans may be painted as even more dangerous, as the guv and his friends in Washington argue that illegal immigrant criminals in New Orleans need to be picked up and locked behind bars in Angola because they're the "worst of the worst." But who haven't committed crimes.
"People around h want their communities to be safe, irrespective of whether it’s criminal illegal aliens conducting violence or American citizens or h citizens," Landry told Fox News. "If you go out there and break the law, we’re gonna put you in jail."
I agree, but why issue threats where there's no evidence of problems?
Last year, the governor drew rebuke from many in New Orleans when his people suggested that the way to fix all that bothers so many New Orleanians was for the state of h to take over the . Don't remember? Look at the .
That felt like a takeover idea to me.
Time after time, Landry says things — and does things — that sure make it seem like he wants to take over the state's biggest economic contributor. So, when I had a chance to ask the governor directly about that, I did.
"Oh no, no, no. I can promise you I do not want to take over the City of New Orleans. I never did. I want the city of New Orleans to function well …"
Landry told me that even if the city needed a fiscal administrator, it wouldn't be his choice; it would be up to the attorney general, the treasurer and the legislative auditor.
"Even under the worst-case scenario, the governor can't take over the City of New Orleans, so I don't think anyone has to worry about any of that if that's what they're concerned about," he added.
Maybe not. But he carries a big stick, and how he frames things matters.
Should we believe him?
Yes — when he stops threatening the city, and starts acting less like a predator and more like a partner.
