NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Police Department is denying wrongdoing after one of its recruits was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which accused the city of violating federal immigration laws.
Federal agents last month arrested New Orleans police recruit Larry Temah, a 46-year-old Cameroonian national who had received a final order of removal signed by an immigration judge in December, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Temah remains in custody and awaits deportation.
Temah was in the department’s police academy when he was detained and was several months away from graduation. He had entered the U.S. in 2015 on a valid visitor visa and received conditional residency in 2016 after marrying a U.S. citizen. In 2022, his application for permanent residency was “denied due to fraud,” according to DHS.
“Criminal illegal aliens have no place in our communities — especially on our police forces,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated Tuesday.
But New Orleans Police Department spokesperson Reese Harper said Tuesday that DHS had made “misleading” statements about Temah’s case. The department had confirmed Temah’s employment eligibility through a DHS verification system and was never notified that ICE was seeking to detain Temah until the day of his arrest, he said.
“New Orleans is not a sanctuary city,” Harper said. “Any claim that NOPD knowingly violated the law is false.”
Harper stated that the NOPD had not given Temah a gun because he was still in the process of completing the police academy.
The clash between the city and federal authorities arises in the aftermath of Operation Catahoula Crunch, a sweeping immigration crackdown centered around New Orleans that launched in December. The operation appears to be on pause after federal agents were redirected to Minneapolis in early January.
President Donald Trump’s administration has repeatedly accused New Orleans of undermining federal immigration enforcement, and Louisiana passed legislation seeking to force the city to collaborate with ICE. The New Orleans Police Department has said immigration enforcement is a civil matter outside its jurisdiction.
Chief Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters last week that no issues with Temah’s legal status had emerged during the hiring process. Temah had lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years and had a valid driver’s license, Social Security card, and no criminal history, she added.
“We did the due diligence,” Kirkpatrick said during a Jan. 28 press conference.
DHS directed The Associated Press to its press release. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment about why Temah had been eligible for employment on ICE’s verification system or how he had engaged in fraud.
Temah could not be reached for comment. The New Orleans Police Department did not share information about Temah’s legal representation when asked and the Fraternal Order of Police in New Orleans did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
___
Sara Cline contributed reporting from Baton Rouge, La.
___
Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
