The Denham Springs City Council voted Aug. 11 to approve a memorandum of agreement between the Denham Springs Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement through the agency’s 287(g) Task Force Model. Councilmember Amber Dugas cast the only dissenting vote after residents raised concerns about family separations, racial profiling, and trust in local law enforcement.
Earlier in the regular meeting, the council honored a local police officer and recognized the Denham Springs High School robotics team.
Denham Springs officer receives Shawn Kelly Award
Police Chief Rodney Walker began the presentation by sharing background about the late Cpl. Shawn Kelly, for whom the award is named. Kelly was shot in the line of duty May 11, 2023, and died from his injuries June 2, 2023.
“Corporal Kelly dedicated his life to serving the citizens of Denham Springs and proudly serving alongside the men and women of the Denham Springs police department,” Walker said.
The Denham Springs Police Department established the annual award in Kelly’s honor in 2024. The recipient is selected by fellow officers, making the award “especially meaningful as it is presented to an officer whose fellow officers believe best represents the qualities and values that Corporal Kelly demonstrated throughout his career.”
This year, Cpl. Brandon Beasley received the Shawn Kelly Award for his “outstanding hard work, dedication, and commitment to the citizens of Denham Springs and his fellow officers.”
Beasley attended the meeting with his family and received applause from those in attendance.
Denham Venom robotics team recognized for tournament victory
The council also recognized Denham Springs High School’s FIRST Robotics team, Denham Venom, for its victory at the Indiana Robotics Invitational.
Coach Daniel Eiland explained the team’s work and described its performance at the invitational.
The team began in 2019 with the opening of the Denham Springs STEM Center. Meetings were later halted during the COVID-19 pandemic as schools and other facilities closed.
When activities resumed, students returned to the program. This year, the team “finished off as the first-ranked FIRST Robotics team in the state,” Eiland said.
“We are the 26th ranked in the world, and 24th in the country… out of 3,700 teams from… everywhere you could possibly imagine,” he said.
The team has about 50 students and focuses primarily on machining, computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM), 3D work, programming, and building. Eiland said several former team members have gone on to work in engineering positions.
For regional competitions, teams receive a different task each year. The task is released in January, giving students until the beginning of March to design and build a robot from scratch. Regional competitions are held from March through April, with qualifying teams advancing to the world championship.
Denham Venom became the first Louisiana team to win three regional competitions in a row during a single season. Last year, it became the first Louisiana team to reach the highest level of the world championship, known as the “Einstein level,” after competing among approximately 600 teams.
“We haven’t won the world championship yet, but we’re very close,” Eiland said.
Team members demonstrated the robot for the council, showing its maneuverability, construction, and ability to complete tasks. During the demonstration, the robot shot large yellow balls in a pattern it recognized through a QR code.
The Indiana Robotics Invitational is an invitation-only event that selects teams based on factors including robot quality and win-loss records. Denham Venom advanced through the qualifying matches and won the invitational.
Eiland also announced that Denham Springs High School will host the Red Stick Rumble on Sept. 19. Robotics teams from Louisiana, Mississippi, and possibly Texas are expected to compete in a full robotics game from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission will be free.
Council approves ICE agreement
Later in the meeting, the council considered the proposed memorandum of agreement allowing the Denham Springs Police Department to participate in ICE’s 287(g) Task Force Model.
Johanna Morales, a first-generation Mexican American who said she has been part of the Denham Springs community since second grade, was the first resident to speak against the agreement.
“I do not approve of… 287(g) that y’all are trying to pass. Not because I don’t believe that there are criminals coming into the US, but because y’all are not stopping the criminals,” Morales told the council.
“Y’all are stopping families, y’all are stopping hard working fathers and mothers, y’all are tearing families apart and I have seen it first hand. I have recorded it first hand,” she continued.
“To see the fear in my family and friends that one day they will be stopped and taken, ripped from what we have known… it’s not okay,” Morales said. “I carry three different identifications just in case if one day I am to be stopped and questioned just because of the color of my skin.”
Pastors David and Misty Ozuna of Iglesia Voz de Pentecostes, who said they have lived in the area for more than 30 years, also shared their concerns.
“I have personally witnessed these families being destroyed and separated,” Misty Ozuna told the council, “but the people that are here, even people from our own congregation, that have recently been deported… were here with work permits, legally, and had already paid thousands of dollars to be here… and were automatically deported.”
David Ozuna said some members of the Latino community are afraid to visit Denham Springs or interact with the city’s Police Department.
“I’ve heard the rumors out there,” he said. “They say ‘don’t go to Denham Springs because they’re racist. They see that you’re Latino… and they’re gonna stop you, and they’re gonna deport you.’”
“You have to consider the impact on the community,” he added. “Now, if there is any need [for law enforcement] they’re not gonna be able to call the police because of what they see [happening].”
One speaker said Hispanic and Latino residents make up approximately 12% of Denham Springs’ population.
Jessica Converse, co-chair of the Baton Rouge Democratic Socialists of America and a U.S. Navy veteran, said that approving the agreement would send a negative message to community members.
“By signing these agreements you’re basically telling your community that you don’t care and you don’t want them here,” Converse said.
“I have worked with these community members who are trying to find their legal protections to keep their children with them, and half of their spouses are locked up in different parts of Louisiana. They cannot get to them to get a power of attorney,” she said. “You’re putting people between… a prison and a gravesite.”
Several speakers said they had been unable to locate a copy of the 287(g) Task Force Model before the meeting to review its language and potential effects. Others who said they had reviewed it described the language as “ridiculously vague” and “unclear” and questioned how it would protect minority residents from what they described as “further racial profiling.”
Another speaker compared current immigration enforcement and deportations to the persecution of Jewish people in Nazi Germany.
After the public comments, the council did not take additional questions. Two council members said they had each discussed the proposed agreement privately with Walker for about 30 minutes before the meeting.
Dugas was the only council member to speak against the agreement. She described an incident involving an employee whom she said had current and accurate paperwork but was detained for two months in “not great conditions” before being deported.
“I guess because recently I’ve been affected by [the deportations] and got to see the other side of it… I am not comfortable being a part of it,” Dugas said.
The council approved the agreement, with Dugas casting the only opposing vote.
