Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser on Wednesday said Border Patrol's mass sweeps in the state's neighborhoods have stoked fear among residents and disrupted the state's labor force.

Nungesser said that he has received "a dozen calls" from business owners in the state who are facing labor shortages as workers with valid work permits remain at home out of fear of being detained by immigration agents.

"They said 'we're getting rid of the criminals,'" said Nungesser in an interview Wednesday. "These people, a lot of them have played by the rules and have a work visa and now are fearful."

The Department of Homeland Security has identified its target as immigrants without legal status and with criminal histories. However, law enforcement records obtained by the Associated Press show tha

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