A New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) recruit was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents over his illegal status, the city’s police chief said Wednesday.
According to NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick, the recruit, who was not named, was hired by the police force in June 2025 and was going through the department’s police academy.
“We learned about it this morning,” Kirkpatrick said Wednesday. “There was no struggle involved. The recruit was taken into custody without any incident whatsoever.”
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Kirkpatrick declined to identify the recruit, referring questions on his identity to ICE. Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for additional details.
She said the department had no indication during the hiring process that the individual was not legally in the U.S.
“There was nothing in the [personnel] packet that would have given us reason to believe that this person did not have legal status,” she said. “There is some question that may have developed later.”
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According to Kirkpatrick, the recruit applied to join the department in June 2025, had a valid driver’s license and Social Security number, and had passed the federal E-Verify system.
She said ICE later informed the department that an immigration judge had signed a removal order for the recruit on Dec. 5, 2025, following his application to the police force.
“The order of removal occurred after we had already hired him,” she said.
Kirkpatrick said the recruit had lived in the United States for about 10 years and had previously lived in Georgia.
She said that the NOPD had conducted standard criminal background checks, including a search through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, and found no criminal history.
According to Kirkpatrick, the ICE field director also confirmed the recruit had no criminal record.
“We did the due diligence,” she said.
“I have been told that he will not be given a bond hearing and that he will be in the process of a removal,” she said.
