New Orleans Police Chief Sparks Outrage After Dismissing Illegal Immigration as Civil Issue

At a time when law and order are desperately needed, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick just told the American people where her loyalties lie and it’s not with the rule of law.

During a press conference celebrating the end of a 15-year federal consent decree, Kirkpatrick stunned observers when she claimed that being in the U.S. illegally is a "civil issue," not a criminal one. Her department, she made clear, will not assist in the enforcement of federal immigration law despite Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) gearing up for operations in the area.

Her words weren’t just a misstep. They were a declaration that New Orleans police will look the other way while illegal aliens remain in the country shielded by a politically correct agenda rather than held accountable by the law.

Let’s be clear:

• Crossing the U.S. border illegally is a federal crime. Under 8 U.S. Code § 1325, it is illegal to elude immigration inspection, use false documents, or enter at a non-authorized point of entry.

• Obstructing ICE is a state crime in Louisiana, as noted by Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill, who personally confronted Kirkpatrick about her comments.

• New Orleans already has a serious public safety problem, with critics pointing to recent violent incidents, including a vehicular attack on Bourbon Street during the Sugar Bowl, as evidence that police priorities are badly misaligned.

This isn’t a gray area. It’s Law Enforcement 101. Yet Kirkpatrick went so far as to say that her department would only assist to “make sure they’re not going to get hurt” and refused to acknowledge any responsibility to uphold federal law.

Florida journalist Eric Daugherty didn’t mince words: “How can you be the leader of a major police force and not know this? Arrest and deport. No exceptions.” Conservative commentator David Harris Jr. echoed the sentiment, calling it basic law enforcement knowledge.

While Kirkpatrick tried to justify her comments by referencing the civil side of immigration law such as visa overstays handled through civil proceedings she conveniently omitted the criminal penalties that apply to unlawful entry.

The facts don’t lie:

• Over 3.2 million illegal border crossings have occurred under the Biden administration more than any presidency in U.S. history.

• ICE deportations dropped by nearly 70% between 2019 and 2021, signaling a broader breakdown in immigration enforcement nationwide.

• A 2023 Pew Research study found that two-thirds of Americans believe the federal government is doing a poor job of handling illegal immigration.

Kirkpatrick’s position perfectly aligns with the disastrous priorities of the Biden administration where criminals are protected, and law-abiding citizens are left to fend for themselves. Instead of supporting ICE in cleaning up the streets, the New Orleans Police Department is signaling that it will obstruct or ignore those efforts under the banner of “public safety.”

Attorney General Murrill nailed it: local law enforcement should be enforcing the law, not finding ways to sidestep it. Her call for full cooperation with ICE and the enforcement of both state and federal law should not be controversial. It should be the bare minimum expected of any public official entrusted with safety and order.

Unfortunately, in Democrat-run cities like New Orleans, we continue to see local leadership cave to radical open-borders ideology. And it's the American people especially legal immigrants and working families who suffer the consequences.

Time to remind these so-called leaders: the law still matters. And if they won’t uphold it, someone else will.

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