An illegal immigrant with an active deportation order was hired to be a New Orleans cop — and even given a gun, according to the feds.
Larry Temah, a 46-year-old illegal migrant from Cameroon, was nabbed by ICE at his home on Jan. 26 — just one week before he was set to graduate from the police academy.
“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 in a firearm — what kind of law enforcement department gives criminal illegal aliens guns and badges?” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
“It’s a felony for illegal aliens to even possess a firearm.”
Temah entered the US legally on a visitor visa in 2015 before being granted conditional residency the following year when he married an American citizen, according to ICE.
His green card application ended up being rejected in 2022 after the feds flagged concerns the marriage was fraudulent, ICE added.
He was subsequently ordered to appear in immigration court but failed to show up three times, the feds said.
An immigration judge then slapped him with the deportation order.
The Trump administration has since accused the New Orleans Police Department of recruiting Temah and issuing him a firearm — despite him being an illegal migrant with an active deportation order to his name.
A spokesperson for the police department disputed ICE’s claims, insisting they were misleading.
“The New Orleans Police Department verified Mr Temah’s employment eligibility through ICE’s E-Verify system prior to hiring and was never notified of any ICE detainer,” the spokesperson said.
“New Orleans is not a sanctuary city, and NOPD does not control jail operations or detainer decisions, which fall under the Sheriff’s Office.”
“Any claim that NOPD knowingly violated the law is false,” they added.
