FEDERAL agents began hitting the streets of New Orleans on Wednesday in the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown.

Masked agents patrolled a heavily Hispanic suburb in marked and unmarked vehicles and a resident told reporters he watched agents arresting men outside a home improvement store in New Orleans — a familiar scene that has played out in several major cities in recent months.

Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, who led enforcement operations in Chicago, Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina, met up on Wednesday with agents assembling in a Home Depot car park.

There are more than 200 Customs and Border Protection and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials working on the New Orleans operation, according to a US government source.

Homeland Security Department Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that the New Orleans operation is targeting immigrants who were released after arrests for crimes such as home invasion, armed robbery and rape.

Immigration officials have blanketed big cities and small towns across the nation since January while carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.

Another operation is expected soon in Minnesota, targeting Somali immigrants. The enforcement tactics have been met with protests and lawsuits.

Fear and uncertainty have weighed heavy on the immigrant community in New Orleans — the city known as the birthplace of jazz and for its Mardi Gras celebrations and rich blend of French, Spanish, African and Native American cultures.

A witness saw federal agents chase down and arrest people in the car park of a Lowes store in New Orleans on Wednesday morning.

“They tried to run across the street but they caught them,” said Jody Styles.

Some business owners in Hispanic areas say they will remain closed until the operation is over.

Other shopfronts have signs barring federal immigration agents from entering.