N O L A.C O M
F A L C O N S
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M o n d ay, n ov e M b e r 24, 2025
S A I N T S
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RUDE REMINDER
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Budget, jail staffing will challenge Woodfork
New sheriff’s deputies will be needed for mental health wing
BY JOSEPH CRANNEY Staff writer
Michelle Woodfork has five months before she’ll take office as the next Orleans Parish sheriff, but she’s already staring down huge challenges of the job, including concerns about how she’ll afford to staff a new mental health wing at the troubled parish jail. Construction on the $92 million wing is more than 85% complete, and the so-called Phase III facility is scheduled to open a few months after Woodfork’s inauguration in May. With the city’s budget in shambles, however, Woodfork Woodfork does not know how OPSO will have enough money to staff the facility, which could require hiring as many as 80 new deputies. The sheriff’s budget is likely in line for a cut as City Hall faces a $160 million deficit, though it’s not clear yet how much money Woodfork stands to lose. Outgoing Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration called for a 20% reduction, but that figure could change in Mayorelect Helena Moreno’s own budget proposal, expected to be released this week.
ä See WOODFORK, page 5A STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Saints place kicker Blake Grupe, left, reacts after missing a field goal during Sunday’s game against the Falcons in New Orleans. Because of a bye week, the Saints gave their fans two whole weeks to enjoy a victory over the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 9, but the rival Atlanta Falcons provided a splash of cold water on Sunday at Caesars Superdome, reminding Saints fans that the home team just isn’t very good. The final score was 24-10, and it came complete with the Saints turning the ball over early, missing two field goals and failing to score twice from the 1-yard line. By the time the game ended, there was hardly anyone left to boo.
Thousands in La. at risk of being homeless again Feds forcing parishes to shrink permanent housing programs
ä SEE COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE SAINTS GAME. PAGE 1C
BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer
Louisiana sees surge in immigrants’ lawsuits Some challenge legality of their detentions
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
As President Donald Trump’s administration aggressively pursues its mass deportation campaign, the number of immigrants challenging the legality of their detention at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in Louisiana — a state that has become a major detention
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hub in recent years — has surged. In the roughly 10 months before Trump took office in January, 23 habeas petitions — a type of lawsuit that claims a person is being illegally detained — were filed in federal courts in the state. Between Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration and Nov. 1, that number soared, with at least 95 Louisiana ICE detainees challenging their detention here, a review of federal court records found. Among the petitioners are a Pakistani man with an American wife and kids who took a wrong turn after visiting Niagara
Falls and ended up at the Canadian border, where he was detained; a Ukrainian truck driver who was detained when he made a delivery at a military base in Texas; and a Russian who opposed the war in Ukraine and spent a year and a half in detention while his asylum claim was processed. The lawsuits illustrate how the Trump administration’s push to detain and deport immigrants in record numbers is sweeping up many people who previously would not have been targeted. And critics argue
A new federal policy could spur widespread evictions of formerly homeless people across Louisiana, disrupting yearslong efforts in New Orleans and elsewhere to close encampments and permanently house the state’s most vulnerable. The Department of Housing and Urban Development this month issued new rules that will redirect much of the tens of millions of dollars in grants that have been used to permanently house formerly homeless people in Louisiana. The state’s share of those grants totaled $93 million last year, but next year parishes must shrink permanent housing programs in favor of temporary housing and other assistance, and they could see their overall awards decrease.
ä See DETENTIONS, page 5A
ä See HOMELESS, page 7A
Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................3B Nation-World................2A Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Opinion ........................4B Commentary ................5B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
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13TH yEAR, NO. 104