(NEW ORLEANS) Federal immigration authorities are quietly lining up New Orleans as the next target for a major enforcement operation after Charlotte, with planning led by Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the discussions.
As of Thursday morning, November 13, 2025, Bovino, who recently oversaw large-scale operations in Chicago and Los Angeles, had left Chicago with his agents and was headed to Charlotte. New Orleans has been identified as the next likely city for a similar push, the officials said, though no dates have been set publicly and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made no formal announcement.
The campaign in Charlotte is already shaping the discussion in New Orleans. Federal agents are expected to arrive in Charlotte as early as Saturday, November 15, 2025, for what officials describe as a major immigration enforcement operation. New Orleans is reportedly next in line, yet as of November 17, 2025, there are no official details, timelines, or public plans for the Louisiana city.
The lack of formal notice has left New Orleans leaders in the dark. No official public statement has been issued by DHS or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about specific plans for New Orleans, and local officials there have not confirmed receiving any formal notification. The New Orleans Mayor’s Office has not responded to media outreach regarding possible future Border Patrol operations, despite growing questions about what a large-scale operation could look like in a city with a long history of migration and a large service-sector workforce.
Gregory Bovino has offered only a glimpse into how targets are selected. When asked about future cities, he said:
“We pay attention to what [President Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and our intelligence] say, and we marry those up, and we hit it hard.”
In a separate written response to public calls for action, he added:
“We’ll put Charlotte on the list!!!”
The wording underscores how political direction from President Trump, guidance from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and internal intelligence assessments are being combined to decide where to deploy agents next.
Those comments, coupled with the quiet movement of teams from Chicago to Charlotte and the mention of New Orleans as the next likely target, paint a picture of an enforcement strategy that is highly centralized at the federal level but relatively opaque for city officials. Local leaders in both Charlotte and New Orleans have expressed frustration at the lack of advance notice and coordination from federal authorities, according to people familiar with their responses, leaving city agencies to prepare in an information vacuum.
For residents in New Orleans, the reports immediately raise questions about who could be targeted, how long an operation might last, and how it might affect daily life. While the federal government has not described the planned actions in detail, the reference to “hit it hard” from Bovino has amplified concerns among immigrant communities and those who work with them that the operation could involve aggressive street arrests, increased presence at transportation hubs, or coordinated sweeps in neighborhoods and workplaces.
In Charlotte, where agents are expected as early as Saturday, November 15, 2025, city officials and community groups are also grappling with the same uncertainty. They know that Charlotte is “currently the focus of a major federal immigration enforcement operation,” but beyond the expected arrival window and Bovino’s public commitment that “We’ll put Charlotte on the list!!!”, there is little concrete information available. That lack of specificity leaves families guessing whether routine trips—to school, work, or church—might suddenly bring them into contact with federal officers.
The reference to Chicago and Los Angeles underscores that the Charlotte and New Orleans moves are part of a broader pattern rather than isolated decisions. Bovino, who “led recent operations in Chicago and Los Angeles,” is now redirecting his agents toward the Southeast. Yet unlike past high-profile enforcement campaigns, there has been no formal rollout, press conference, or detailed explanation from DHS about objectives, scope, or metrics for success.
In New Orleans, the silence from the Mayor’s Office adds to the confusion. Officials there “have not confirmed receiving any formal notification,” and the office “has not responded to media outreach regarding possible future Border Patrol operations.” That leaves schools, hospitals, legal aid organizations, and social service groups without guidance on what to expect or how to prepare, even as reports circulate that the city is the “next likely target.”
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees both ICE and the Border Patrol, has the authority to conduct immigration enforcement operations anywhere in the United States. Information about the agency’s work is typically available on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement website, but in this case, there have been no posted bulletins or public advisories specifically about Charlotte or New Orleans. Instead, details are emerging through officials familiar with internal planning rather than through standard public channels.
The mention of “what [President Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and our intelligence] say” in Bovino’s quote highlights how immigration enforcement priorities can shift rapidly with political direction. When those shifts occur without clear communication to cities like Charlotte and New Orleans, local officials must react to federal decisions rather than help shape or manage them. That can complicate policing, emergency services, and public messaging, especially in communities where many residents may be wary of any interaction with law enforcement.
As of mid-November, there are no other cities specifically named in credible, recent reports as immediate next targets beyond Charlotte and New Orleans. That does not mean operations are limited to those two locations, but it does underline how tightly held the planning has become. For now, Charlotte is first in line, with agents expected to arrive around Saturday, November 15, 2025, while New Orleans stands as “the next city reportedly under consideration” without a date, schedule, or official confirmation.
The situation leaves both cities preparing for something they cannot yet see. In Charlotte, community groups are bracing for a spike in calls and requests for help once agents are on the ground, even though they lack detailed instructions or timelines. In New Orleans, advocates and local officials are trying to read between the lines of sparse federal signals, aware that the first public sign of an operation might be the presence of uniformed officers on city streets.
At the center of this evolving map sits Gregory Bovino, directing teams that have already moved through Chicago and Los Angeles and are now converging on Charlotte, with New Orleans on the horizon. His statements—
“We pay attention to what [President Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and our intelligence] say, and we marry those up, and we hit it hard”
and
“We’ll put Charlotte on the list!!!”
—offer some of the only direct insight into how decisions are made and how aggressively they may be carried out.
Until DHS or ICE breaks its silence with an official announcement, the picture remains partial. Charlotte knows it is the current focal point of a “major federal immigration enforcement operation” with agents arriving as early as Saturday, November 15, 2025. New Orleans knows it is being talked about as the next likely target. Everyone else, from city hall to neighborhood groups in both cities, is left to wait for federal action to catch up with federal words.
This Article in a Nutshell
Federal Border Patrol planning, led by Gregory Bovino, has redirected teams from Chicago toward Charlotte, with New Orleans identified as the next likely target. Agents may arrive in Charlotte as early as November 15, 2025, but DHS and ICE released no formal notices. New Orleans officials say they have not received formal notification, creating confusion for local services and community groups. Bovino indicated that political direction and intelligence drive target selection, and advocates worry about aggressive enforcement tactics and impacts on immigrant communities while authorities remain largely silent.
