New Orleans ICE Office Ranks Second in Arrest Rate Behind San Antonio

The New Orleans ICE office ranked second nationwide in arrests relative to the region’s noncitizen immigrant population. Only one office recorded a higher rate.

The region recorded more than 45,000 ICE arrests from January 2025 through early August 2026, according to the analysis. That equals about 670 arrests for every 10,000 noncitizen immigrants.

The comparison uses more than raw arrest totals. Researchers measured ICE arrests against the noncitizen immigrant population in each office’s territory.

The figures place the New Orleans region among the country’s most active immigration-enforcement areas. The ranking covers a broad jurisdiction.

The comparison covers five states, not just New Orleans

The office’s area of responsibility includes Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Arrests recorded anywhere in that five-state territory contribute to the regional picture.

Researchers built the comparison from ICE arrest data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. The Deportation Data Project analyzed those records alongside U.S. Census Bureau immigrant-population data.

The resulting measure differs from a simple list of offices by arrest count. It accounts for the population living within each office’s jurisdiction.

Only the San Antonio office ranked higher in the comparison. The analysis therefore places the New Orleans region ahead of other ICE areas when arrests are measured against the local noncitizen immigrant population.

Local records show arrests spread across several Louisiana communities

A separate Louisiana breakdown shows how enforcement activity appeared across the New Orleans area. The records include arrests in the city and in neighboring communities.

The St. Rose figure includes the community where the ICE field office is now located. The local counts provide a narrower geographic view than the five-state comparison.

New Orleans also recorded Louisiana’s highest number of “at-large” arrests in that breakdown. Those arrests involved people taken into custody at home, at work, or in public rather than through a jail or prison transfer.

That distinction is visible in the locations covered by the local data. Kenner, Gretna, St. Rose, and New Orleans each appear separately in the breakdown.

The regional figures sit within a wider 2026 enforcement surge

The Louisiana analysis was published August 30, 2026, and updated September 7, 2026. Its local figures offer a more detailed view of activity within the broader office territory.

The underlying ICE dataset came from a release dated August 24, 2026. The records had been updated through August 6, 2026.

National arrest activity also rose during the period covered by the local data. ICE recorded 49,571 arrests nationwide in July, a near-record monthly total.

The national figure does not replace the regional comparison. It shows the broader enforcement environment in which the New Orleans-area numbers accumulated.

Parish-level activity fills out the regional picture

The local enforcement picture extends beyond the city itself. Nearby parishes, including Jefferson, St. Charles, and St. John the Baptist, fall within the southeast Louisiana territory served by the office.

Those communities help explain why a regional measure can produce a different result from a city-by-city count. The office’s jurisdiction spans multiple states, while the Louisiana breakdown focuses on individual locations.

Arrests outside jails or prisons form a central part of the local pattern. The data therefore tracks activity in homes, workplaces, and public spaces as well as traditional detention-related settings.

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.