Ten people were taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) during a joint patrol of Louisiana oyster seed grounds at the beginning of November.
Though the patrols were ostensibly about policing some of the state’s recently opened oyster seed beds, federal agents tagged along in search of immigration violations.
Together, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDFW), the U.S. Coast Guard, and CBP conducted joint patrols over oyster seed grounds in St. Bernard Parish and Terrebonne Parish on 3 and 4 November.
“These oyster seed grounds open with the intent for fishermen to take marketable oysters for commerce. Special permits, licenses, and reporting requirements are imposed for those fishermen fishing on these grounds,” LDFW said in a statement. “These measures, along with sack limits, allow the department to collect data and effectively manage the health, productivity, and sustainability of these oyster seed grounds.”
During the patrols, LDFW agents boarded vessels to ensure adherence with state fishing regulations, ultimately issuing just three citations for operating without seed ground gear permits and two citations for failing to report harvest data. Those citations carry a fine of up to USD 350 (EUR 301) per offense. In total, 27 sacks of oysters were seized and dumped back into the seed ground.
At the same time LDFW agents were boarding vessels to police state fishing regulations, CBP agents and Coast Guard officers were boarding to check whether those onboard were in compliance with federal immigration law. Federal officials took 10 individuals into custody during the 3 November patrols.
CBP has not released any additional information about the fishers taken during the patrols. Just days earlier, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a raid at a Harvey, Louisiana, shipyard, detaining 25 employees of Big “B” Services, which does business as Barrois Welding Services, for immigration violations.
