Low Crowds, Whistles, and Closed Taquerias: New Orleans Businesses Freeze Over ICE Raids

A deafening chorus of whistles and air horns filled City Council chambers Thursday as hundreds of protesters demanded the city declare itself a “protected zone” from federal immigration sweeps, forcing council members to briefly suspend the meeting and move spectators into overflow rooms.

The raucous demonstration came one day after multiple metro-area restaurants and day-labor corners shuttered amid rumors of impending ICE operations.

Ice Raids Freeze Immigrant Businesses, Communities in New Orleans

Taqueria Guerrero on South Claiborne Avenue, a 20-year-old fixture in the Latino community, posted handwritten signs Wednesday reading “Cerrado por precaución” (Closed out of precaution) and remained dark Thursday, leaving cooks and servers without shifts or pay.

• Operation Swamp Sweep Targets Illegal Immigrants in New Orleans
• New Orleans Readies for Federal Agents in Operation Safe Streets
• ICE Launches Operation Catahoula Crunch in New Orleans

“We can’t risk it,” said manager Maria Hernandez through the locked glass door Thursday afternoon. “Workers are scared to even come in. One raid and families lose everything.”

Across the river in Kenner, a 47-second cellphone video showing federal agents arresting Jose Leon Reyes outside his home Wednesday morning has been viewed more than 400,000 times on social media. In the footage, neighbors can be heard shouting “¡Aquí vienen!” (“They’re coming!”) moments before Reyes is placed in handcuffs.

Reyes, a father of three U.S.-born children, has lived in the New Orleans area for 18 years, according to family members.The video has reignited fierce debate over whether community members who sound alarms about ICE activity can be charged with obstruction or harboring.

U.S. Attorney Duane Evans declined to comment on any ongoing investigations but said only that “interfering with federal law enforcement carries serious consequences.”Inside City Hall, speakers — many wearing bright yellow shirts reading “NOLA Es Para Todos” — took turns at the podium demanding the council pass an ordinance limiting local police cooperation with ICE and banning federal agents from entering schools, hospitals, and places of worship without a judicial warrant.“We are not asking for lawlessness,” said Hiroki Kuratani of the Congress of Day Laborers. “We are asking New Orleans to remain the welcoming city it has always been.”

Several restaurant owners told council members they have already lost 30-50% of their kitchen staff this week as workers stay home or leave town. At least four other taquerias and pupuserias in Gretna and Terrytown also closed temporarily, according to community advocates.

Council President Helena Moreno acknowledged the anxiety sweeping immigrant neighborhoods but stopped short of endorsing protected-zone legislation, saying the council is “carefully reviewing its legal authority.”

Final Word

A special committee hearing on the issue has been scheduled for December 18. Outside the chambers, the whistle-blowing continued well into the evening as protesters vowed to return for every council meeting until action is taken.

“New Orleans has always protected its own,” said Amy Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American organizer who joined the rally in solidarity. “Today that means protecting our Latino brothers and sisters too.”