NEW ORLEANS — Federal authorities announced the start of an immigration enforcement operation in New Orleans on Wednesday, the latest front in the Trump administration’s crackdown.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that its targets would include violent criminals who were released after being arrested. For weeks, New Orleans, a city led by Democrats in a conservative state, had been nervously bracing for the agents’ arrival. Immigrant advocates have been warning residents to reduce their time outdoors as much as possible, given the outcomes of past operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina.

It was unclear Wednesday morning what specific federal agencies were involved in the operation. But previous efforts in those cities were led by the Border

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