ICE Arrests NOPD Recruit After Department Allegedly Hires Undocumented Immigrant
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A New Orleans Police Department recruit was taken out of service and arrested by federal ICE agents, the department's chief announced Wednesday (Jan. 28).
NOPD Supt. Anne Kirkpatrick declined to identify the recruit, deferring to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. ICE did not immediately respond to questions about the arrest from Fox 8.
Kirkpatrick said the aspiring police officer was taken into custody by ICE "this morning, or sometime in the last 24 hours."
Kirkpatrick said the department was blindsided by the recruit's arrest. She said the recruit applied to join the NOPD in June 2025. She said ICE told the department that an immigration judge had ordered the recruit's removal from the United States about six months later, on Dec. 5, 2025.