The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is preparing to send 250 border agents to New Orleans for a two-month immigration crackdown operation called "Swamp Sweep," according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and three people familiar with the matter.

"Swamp Sweep," which is expected to begin on Dec. 1, is reportedly aimed at arresting approximately 5,000 people across southeast Louisiana and into Mississippi. The reported operation marks the latest in a series of DHS illegal immigration crackdowns in cities across the country, including Chicago and Los Angeles.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican who is closely aligned with President Donald Trump, recently discussed the possibility of federal agents working in his state during an appearance on "America Reports." He noted that his state was "working closely with our federal partners" on immigration and crime crackdowns.

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"We do know that New Orleans is a place under which we've had illegal criminal activity, alien activity, in and around that city. Chief Conley, who is the chief of police from Kenner, has consistently had problems with illegal aliens conducting very violent crime in and around the city, in his city, and has been consistently working with the feds to try to crack that down," Landry told Fox News' Sandra Smith on Monday.

"Look, people around Louisiana want their communities to be safe, irrespective of whether it's criminal or illegal. Aliens conducting violence or American citizens or Louisiana citizens. If you go out there and break the law, we're gonna put you in jail," Landry later added.

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Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley, who Landry said is working closely with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Louisiana State Police, recently spoke about a community safety operation that federal agents were also involved in. According to Conley, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and ICE took "13 to 15 people into their custody."

"You know, we've gotten complaints for the last three years on the lawlessness and the nuisance crimes that have been occurring at the lakefront. We've had a strong presence, we patrolled it, we've sighted people, but it just wasn't enough. The conduct was escalating, citizens were getting harassed and bullied, strong armed, and enough is enough," Conley said in a video posted to the Kenner Police Department's X page.

U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, who has overseen other immigration enforcement operations under Trump, has reportedly been tapped to lead operation Swamp Sweep. 

Documents reviewed by the AP show that Border Patrol teams are set to go across neighborhoods in southeast Louisiana, stretching from New Orleans through Jefferson, St. Bernard and St. Tammany parishes and as far north as Baton Rouge. There are also plans for federal agents to go into southeastern Mississippi.

In preparation for the operation, federal agents have been securing several staging sites. The AP, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that part of the FBI's New Orleans field office has been designated as a command post. Additionally, a naval base will reportedly be used to store vehicles, equipment and "less lethal" munitions, such as tear gas and pepper balls. The outlet said that documents it reviewed showed that DHS asked to use the naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in New Orleans for up to 90 days beginning this weekend.

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment on the report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The University of California at Berkeley was once famed as the birth of America’s modern free speech movement in 1964, led by graduate student Mario Savio. But, that legacy has been marred by successive incidents and policies at the university antithetical to our First Amendment ideals. The growing trend of left-wing violence targeting free speech in America was on full display this week when Antifa thugs crashed a peaceful Turning Point USA event at UC Berkeley. The mob attacked attendees and vandalized university property in its attempt to oust Turning Point from the event space. Police made only a few arrests.

University organizers did little to protect students or the public, despite being on notice of similar incidents of organized violence in the past. They are also accused of interfering with ticketed access to the event featuring Christian comedian Rob Schneider. Berkeley’s legacy as a bastion of free speech is in tatters, stained with the blood of event attendees who came in good faith and were beaten and attacked by a vicious, organized mob while Berkeley police and campus administrators did little to stop the carnage.

Before the event, it was reported that the campus was littered with flyers promising violence against the Turning Point event, and the violent groups that are well known to the campus and the city openly took credit for their desired goals. This is a feature that has become all-too common among radical left-wing groups embracing violence as a tool to achieve political outcomes. Broadcasting their aims to silence their perceived opponents — the classic "heckler’s veto" but with a twist — the Antifa hecklers are now armed and prepared to wreak mayhem.

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It’s for this very reason that President Donald Trump issued an executive order earlier this year designating Antifa a terrorist organization, and Attorney General Pam Bondi is vigorously enforcing this directive. What we saw at Berkeley only reinforces the need for a coordinated response to targeted, ideologically motivated violence.

History shows that violence against conservatives is nothing new at UC Berkeley. In 2018, the university settled a lawsuit brought by Young America’s Foundation and the Berkeley College Republicans after it sought to saddle the student groups with exorbitant security costs that were only necessary because many violent leftist students on campus were threatening event safety. I was the attorney who represented the plaintiffs in that case. And as a part of the settlement, UC Berkeley agreed to ensure conservative student groups would be able to exercise their First Amendment rights, just like every other student group on campus. This includes providing adequate security to ensure a mob of protesters can’t disrupt events.

Based on the events of this week, it appears UC Berkeley may not be living up to its end of the deal. Worse, reports of university officials suppressing turnout at the event and not recognizing or admitting certain ticketed attendees, are deeply concerning and merit investigation.

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The number of protesters at a high-profile event requires ample security by the university. The First Amendment demands that a public university provide such protection in an equal and unbiased manner, regardless of the speaker’s viewpoint. This is true even if the need for more security is the result of a hostile environment on campus. Peaceful speakers and those who come to hear them should not be left to shoulder the burden of the university’s failure to foster an accepting, non-violent culture for students.

Given the concerning behavior by violent groups on campus and the wholly inadequate response of both the university and the city of Berkeley, the Civil Rights Division, under the leadership and direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi, has opened an investigation to determine if any violations of federal civil rights laws occurred. This includes both acts or omissions by university officials, and any conspiracy by private individuals to violate the civil rights of Turning Point members, its speakers, or its attendees. Any violation of law will be met with swift action. We are coordinating this work with the Joint Terrorism Task Force and other aspects of the DOJ, and may uncover additional claims as we investigate the Antifa coordination, campus violence, and policing failures we saw at Berkeley this week.

UC Berkeley was the birthplace of the free speech movement. But the events of this week confirm that the school still has a problem with left-wing violence. It’s a feature of life on Berkeley’s campus that contradicts the school’s venerable tradition supporting the free exchange of ideas. If UC Berkeley or the California Board of Regents does not get this violence under control, and we continue to witness policing practices in the city of Berkeley that leave innocent Americans at risk based upon their perceived viewpoints, the Justice Department will step in and ensure fidelity to our first principles of free speech on public campuses.