MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Back here in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security says an immigration enforcement effort in southeast Louisiana has led to the arrests of more than 250 people. Advocates for the Latino community say some people, regardless of legal status, are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being arrested or deported under what's called Operation Catahoula Crunch. Alex Cox from member station WRKF in Baton Rouge takes us to a neighborhood where volunteers are delivering food to residents who are afraid to go to the grocery store.
ALEX COX, BYLINE: It was an uncharacteristically chilly evening in East Baton Rouge Parish as a half a dozen volunteers with the group Mision Migrantes gather to deliver bags full of donated food.
UNIDENTIFIED VOLUNTEER: (Speaking Spanish).
COX: They are meant to feed a family of four for about a week. There's fruits, veggies and pantry staples like sugar and flour. As the group pulls up to a house, they are met by children running around, playing and a worried mother.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Spanish).
COX: She says they rarely go outside because they're scared. Her husband was recently taken by immigration enforcement, and now it's just her and her daughter. We are not identifying the people receiving the groceries. They spoke to us on the condition of anonymity because they're afraid of becoming a target of immigration enforcement. The next stop is a duplex, where a woman and her daughters come out to help carry in the groceries. She is undocumented and says she's staying in her home during the current immigration operation.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking Spanish).
COX: "That's because of the current operation," she says. Her kids only have her and no other family around. So if she is taken, they're left alone. Without a warrant signed by a judge, law enforcement can't enter a home. That's one reason why many immigrants stay indoors. But it's not that simple for everyone. Some have jobs they can't afford to lose, says Samera Whelch (ph). She is one of the organizers of this food delivery.
SAMERA WHELCH: I can't imagine getting up at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning and having to pray over my husband to make sure that as he leaves, he comes back home.
COX: At one of the houses this evening, they encounter a woman who says she is in desperate need because there are two families living here, and they're afraid to go to work.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Speaking Spanish).
COX: "This food drop is a big help," she says, 'with everything else going on." As she tells her story, Any Murillo, one of the organizers who is also a pastor, prays with her.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOG BARKING)
ANY MURILLO: (Speaking Spanish).
COX: Murillo says she's motivated to help these families because of a Bible verse.
MURILLO: (Speaking Spanish).
COX: "I have no silver or gold, but what I have, I give you," she says. This evening, the group delivered groceries to about a dozen families, and they say they will keep going as long as they can. The Department of Homeland Security has not said how long their operation in Southeast Louisiana will last.
For NPR News, I'm Alex Cox in Baton Rouge.
MARTIN: Mel Bridges with WRKF helped produce the story.
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