Immigration Advocates Move to Join Lawsuit Challenging ICE Subpoenas on Orleans Parish Jail

Two immigration advocacy organizations, the Southern Poverty Law Center and Al Otro Lado, have filed a motion to intervene in a federal lawsuit between the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office (OPSO) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The case, United States of America v. Susan Hutson, centers on ICE’s demand for inmate information that OPSO refuses to provide, citing a longstanding consent decree.

ICE has issued 20 administrative subpoenas between October 2025 and January 2026, seeking details on immigrants booked into the Orleans Parish jail, including sensitive data like emergency contacts. OPSO resists, pointing to a 2013 consent decree from the case Cacho v. Gusman. That decree arose after two construction workers sued OPSO for holding them beyond their criminal sentences based solely on ICE detainer requests. The settlement barred OPSO from honoring most ICE detainers and sharing inmate information with ICE.

The dispute has escalated as the state challenges the consent decree, claiming it conflicts with a 2024 law mandating local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Meanwhile, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno issued an executive order forbidding city officials from entering into 287(g) agreements that deputize local law enforcement to enforce immigration law—a move not extended to the sheriff’s office.

SPLC attorney Susan Meyers contends ICE’s subpoenas are a coercive tactic designed to force OPSO into collaboration. “ICE is really after undoing Cacho and creating the appearance of cooperation between OPSO and ICE to advance the Trump administration’s agenda,” Meyers said. “These subpoenas are issued in bad faith because ICE knows it is not entitled to this information.”

The advocacy groups’ intervention aims to protect their client currently detained and targeted by ICE’s information requests. While OPSO did not oppose their involvement, the federal government objected. A judge is expected to decide by the end of April whether the groups can join the lawsuit.

This legal battle highlights the ongoing tension between local jurisdictions trying to limit ICE’s reach and federal efforts to enforce immigration laws aggressively. It also underscores the Trump administration’s broader strategy of using legal pressure and subpoenas to circumvent local policies that protect immigrant rights and due process. We will be watching closely as this case unfolds.