U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a New Orleans Police Department recruit from Cameroon after discovering he had an active deportation order and had been issued a firearm just days before graduating from the police academy, according to federal officials.
ICE announced Tuesday that 46-year-old Larry Temah was taken into custody on Jan. 28 and remains detained pending removal proceedings. The arrest has ignited a sharp dispute between federal immigration authorities and city officials in New Orleans over how the situation was allowed to unfold.
According to ICE, Temah was recruited by the New Orleans Police Department and issued a firearm despite federal law that prohibits illegal aliens from possessing guns. The agency said the case raises serious questions about hiring practices within the department.
Temah entered the United States legally in 2015 on a visitor visa, ICE said. The following year, he was granted conditional permanent resident status after marrying a U.S. citizen. That status did not last. In 2022, his application for permanent residency was denied due to fraud, according to ICE.
🚨 BREAKING: ICE confirmed that it arrested a New Orleans Police Department recruit who officials say is an illegal alien from Cameroon with an active deportation order and no work authorization. ICE also alleges the individual was improperly issued a firearm by the New Orleans… https://t.co/7Um9xh5ivE pic.twitter.com/luncuXbFHl
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 3, 2026
After the denial, Temah was ordered to appear in immigration court on three separate occasions. ICE said he failed to appear each time, prompting an immigration judge to order his removal from the country in absentia. Despite that order, ICE said Temah remained in the U.S. without valid work authorization.
Federal officials also confirmed Temah was set to graduate from the police academy just one week after his arrest.
“This illegal alien from Cameroon, Larry Temah, is not only breaking the law with every step he takes in this country illegally, but the New Orleans Police Department hired him and issued him a firearm,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “What kind of law enforcement department gives criminal illegal aliens guns and badges? It’s a felony for illegal aliens to possess a firearm.”
McLaughlin said ICE is restoring law and order under President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, accusing sanctuary-style policies of prioritizing illegal aliens over public safety. She specifically criticized cities like New Orleans, arguing their policies undermine federal immigration enforcement.
The New Orleans Police Department pushed back, disputing ICE’s characterization of the situation and calling the agency’s claims misleading.
A department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that NOPD verified Temah’s employment eligibility through ICE’s own E-Verify system prior to hiring and said the department was never notified of any ICE detainer.
🇺🇸 ICE just arrested a New Orleans police recruit who turned out to be an illegal immigrant.
Get this: he’d already been issued a firearm, even though he had an active deportation order.
The department claims it didn’t know his immigration status.
So they hired a random guy… pic.twitter.com/uxbe67txZp
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 3, 2026
“New Orleans is not a sanctuary city,” the spokesperson said. “NOPD does not control jail operations or detainer decisions, which fall under the Sheriff’s Office.”
ICE, however, maintained that Temah had no legal authority to work or possess a firearm and remains in federal custody as removal proceedings move forward.
The arrest has intensified scrutiny of local hiring practices and reignited the broader debate over cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities, particularly in major U.S. cities.
