US immigration officers arrest two people driving dump trucks to Meta site in Louisiana

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) – U.S. federal immigration officers arrested two people driving dump trucks to a construction site of Facebook-owner Meta Platforms in Richland Parish, Louisiana, the local sheriff’s office said on Wednesday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents did not enter the Meta site at any time, the Richland Parish Sheriff’s Office said, adding ICE agents assisted the sheriff’s office with the traffic stops that led to the arrests.

Meta is building its largest-ever data center in Richland Parish. The company had no immediate comment on the detentions. 

“During those stops, two drivers were arrested by ICE due to their immigration status,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement, adding they were from Guatemala and Honduras.

Since taking office a year ago, U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican, has pursued a hardline immigration policy, involving an aggressive deportation drive, revocations of visas and green cards and screening immigrants’ social media posts and past speeches.

Human rights groups have widely condemned Trump’s immigration and travel-related policies, saying they harm due process guarantees and free speech. Trump and his allies say the policies seek to improve domestic security.

ICE’s actions have been subject to particular criticism by protesters, community leaders, Democrats and human rights advocates.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry is from Trump’s Republican Party.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Kate Mayberry)