Online Monitoring, Arrests In New Orleans Crackdown

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — State and federal authorities are monitoring online criticism and protests against the immigration crackdown in New Orleans. Records reviewed by The Associated Press show the state’s fusion center is tracking message boards for threats to agents and compiling updates on public sentiment. Officials have released few details about the arrests made as part of the operation called the “Catahoula Crunch.” Local leaders are calling for transparency, saying they’ve been kept in the dark. Immigration authorities claim the sweeps target “criminal illegal aliens,” but records show less than a third of those arrested had criminal records.