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Border Patrol launches operations in N.O. region
Merger of EMS, Fire Department called off Edwards says ‘juice wasn’t worth the squeeze’
BY AIDAN MCCAHILL Staff writer
for an indefinite period, follows immigration sweeps led by the U.S. Border Patrol in Chicago and several cities in North Carolina. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, who has faced scrutiny for those operations’ tactics, arrived in New Orleans on Wednesday to lead the Louisiana effort. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the Louisiana operation had been christened “Catahoula Crunch.” Federal officials did not respond
Baton Rouge’s Emergency Medical Services will no longer merge with the city’s Fire Department, officials announced Wednesday, scrapping a controversial plan initially proposed by Mayor-President Sid Edwards in June. During a Wednesday news conference, Edwards said the merger, which would have gradually brought EMS employees into the Fire and Police Civil Service system, would no longer happen. “I was going to hear everyone Edwards out and listen, and I did,” Edwards said about the plan. “The juice wasn’t worth the squeeze.” Edwards added he still believed the plan would have been beneficial from an efficiency standpoint, but indicated he would rather shift his attention to other issues. “Where we’re at right now in the parish, the (Thrive) initiative not passing, all the things we have to deal with. With public safety being No. 1, the homeless initiative and blight … I just really want to put my focus on that,” he said. The idea was to give “greater job protections, clearer career advancement, and consistent standards across public safety roles,” according to the initial release announcing the merger. But paramedics pushed back against the move from the start, with many citing a lack of clarity behind the plan. Surveys conducted over the summer showed that very few EMS employees supported a merger, but the majority said they needed more information. “This is what we were hoping for, this is what the majority of the department wanted,” Janice Willard, president of the Baton
ä See BORDER, page 6A
ä See MERGER, page 8A
STAFF PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER
U.S. Border Patrol agents detain and handcuff a man on Williams Boulevard in Kenner as they begin their ‘Catahoula Crunch’ sweeps around the New Orleans metro area on Wednesday. It wasn’t immediately clear why the unidentified man was being detained.
On first day of sweeps, agents made arrests at stores, worksites; some businesses serving immigrants closed BY JAMES FINN Staff writer
Federal agents on Wednesday launched immigration enforcement sweeps across the New Orleans region, targeting south Louisiana as the next host of the escalating immigration crackdown from President Donald Trump’s administration. Agents detained dozens of people outside home improvement stores, in shop- Chief Patrol Agent of U.S. Customs and ping mall parking lots and at worksites in Border Protection Gregory Bovino, center, residential neighborhoods, according to eyewitnesses, immigrant rights groups tours the New Orleans metro area on and reporters who viewed some of the Wednesday. arrests. One witness described agents rounding up two dozen day laborers out- workers atop a house under construction side a Lowe’s. Videos that circulated on in Kenner. The operation, which is expected to last social media showed agents surrounding
ä ACLU files suit challenging state law blocking interference with immigration agents. PAGE 7A
Revenue Secretary Nelson to lead La. community college system BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
The Louisiana Community and Technical College System on Wednesday selected its new president, giving the top job to Department of Revenue Secretary Richard Nelson.
WEATHER HIGH 54 LOW 46 PAGE 6B
Nelson will begin leading the state’s community college system, which includes 12 schools, effective Jan. 1. “Secretary Nelson is a problem solver, a bridge builder, and a leader who recognizes the critical role our colleges play in every region of Louisiana,” Tim Hardy, chair of the LCTCS board, said
in a statement. Nelson has been at the helm of the Department of Revenue since early 2024, when he was tapped to lead the agency by Gov. Jeff Landry. He is a former state representative from Mandeville who ran for governor in 2023 but dropped out and endorsed Landry.
Current President Monty Sullivan in October announced he would retire early next year. He was appointed to the role in 2014. “Under Dr. Sullivan’s leadership, LCTCS nearly doubled its number of
ä See NELSON, page 8A
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Nelson
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