ICE arrests police recruit in New Orleans: report
New Orleans Police Department officers stand at attention. (Image courtesy of NOPD)
January 29, 2026
A recruit with the New Orleans Police Department is in the custody of federal immigration officials and will be removed from the United States, NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said Wednesday.
WVUE-TV Fox 8 reports the recruit, whom the police chief did not name, had no criminal background and cleared an E-Verify citizenship background check. He also provided a valid Social Security number and driver’s license when he applied to the police academy in June, according to Kirkpatrick. She said he has been in the U.S. for about 10 years.
“There was nothing that was in the (personnel) packet that would have reason to believe that this person did not have legal status,” Kirkpatrick said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement informed NOPD that a federal judge ordered his deportation in early December, the chief said. The recruit was taken into custody this week.
ICE has offered to help the department identify when recruits have immigration issues, Kirkpatrick said.