MADISON — A small group protested outside a monthly community meeting Wednesday in Madison to raise awareness about an immigration crackdown in Louisiana and Mississippi — a campaign known both as “Operation Swamp Sweep” and “Catahoula Crunch” – and to oppose the Mississippi government’s collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

While the group of about 12 protested outside, Gov. Tate Reeves, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, spoke inside of the Madison restaurant. The protesters were far enough away from the restaurant to prevent any direct communications with Reeves.

Beginning this week, ICE and the Department of Homeland Security are conducting a two-month immigration crackdown in Louisiana and south Mississippi. Protestors marched in New Orleans during the weekend to oppose the campaign.

Protesters also oppose state agencies and local law enforcement assisting ICE’s immigration enforcement efforts .

On Wednesday, protestors in Madison stood across the street at the intersection in front of Mama Hamil’s, where Reeves was the keynote speaker at Grip N Grin, a monthly meeting to discuss current events. They waved signs as cars drove by, and some drivers honked as they passed.

Kathleein O’Beirne, a Ridgeland native, said this protest was made possible by a coalition of groups, including Mississippi United.

O’Beirne said immigrants contribute greatly to American society and the economy, and the president’s rhetoric around immigration is not rooted in truth.

“The truth of the matter is we Mississippians are smart enough to realize that there is a humane and civil way that respects families, that protects our communities, to address our immigration issues,” she said.

The crackdown in Louisiana and Mississippi is part of the Trump administration’s larger campaign of mass deportations, which O’Beirne described as a campaign of intimidation and harassment against immigrant communities in Mississippi.

Among the group was Paula Merchant, a U.S. Army veteran and former English as a Second Language teacher who founded Adelante, which works with the immigrant community in Jackson and helped organize the protest.

Her experience as an immigrant inspired Merchant to establish the group. She believes the current immigration system is broken and the focus should be on fixing it rather than deporting people. 

“They’re not going to work,” she said of the immigrants. “The kids are not going to school, and they don’t want to separate from one another because they don’t know if they’re going to be taken.”

Merchant was born in Mexico to a Mexican mother and an American father. She and her mother moved to the U.S. when she was 4 after her father died. Her parents never married, making it difficult to prove her father was biologically related to her. Merchant said this meant she and her mother had to take the standard immigration process, which was long and expensive. 

She said she didn’t get a green card until she was 14, and didn’t become a naturalized citizen until she was 28.

“Irregardless how you feel, they’re still your brothers and sisters,” she said. “They’re humans, you should want for them what you have for yourself.”