Doorbell Video Exposes ICE Agents Chasing U.S.-Born Woman to Her Home in Marrero
MARRERO, La. — A federal immigration sweep in southeast Louisiana triggered public backlash this week after doorbell video showed masked agents chasing a U.S.-born woman back to her home during the first hours of the government’s new “Operation Catahoula Crunch.”
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The incident occurred on December 3, according to video and interviews reported by WWL-TV. The footage shows agents in tactical gear approaching a home in Marrero before pursuing a 22-year-old woman to her front door. Her family says she is a U.S. citizen who lives with her parents.
Her stepfather confronted the agents at the gate, where they displayed a photograph of an older woman they claimed to be seeking. After a brief exchange, the agents left without arresting anyone.
No federal agency has publicly confirmed the reason for the attempted contact, and ICE has not commented on the Marrero video.
The confrontation happened on the first day of Operation Catahoula Crunch, a new DHS-led enforcement push deploying roughly 250 federal agents across the New Orleans region. The operation targets undocumented immigrants with prior criminal records or unresolved detainers, with DHS projecting up to 5,000 arrests.
The campaign is overseen by Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino and marks one of the most aggressive federal sweeps in Louisiana in recent years.
Local civil rights groups say the operation has already created fear among Hispanic residents, regardless of immigration status. Community leaders reported families skipping work, avoiding public places, and keeping children home after news of raids spread.
The Marrero video became a flashpoint, amplifying concerns that enforcement efforts may be sweeping up — or at least targeting — people beyond DHS’s stated scope.
Advocates warn the incident highlights the risk of misidentification and raises broader questions about racial profiling and civil rights protections.
Federal officials have not clarified whether the Marrero encounter stemmed from faulty intelligence or a mistaken identity. The woman shown in the agents’ photo reportedly did not match the resident officers pursued.
For now, the video continues to circulate widely in Louisiana’s Hispanic community, underscoring the tension between federal enforcement goals and the rights of U.S. citizens and mixed-status households living in the region.