As federal border agents continued an immigration crackdown in New Orleans, over one hundred Kenner residents gathered to protest against the enforcement action.

"This is a domino effect. Our families are being affected," said Kenner resident Christine Rovelo.

She said her kids had been coming home from school scared of what may happen to classmates. "It's been very emotional", she said.

The city of Kenner has the highest concentration of Hispanic residents in Louisiana and has been a target of a Department of Homeland Security immigration crackdown, seeking to make 5,000 arrests, that began last week.

Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino also made an appearance in the city.

State and federal authorities are closely tracking online criticism and demonstrations against the immigration crackdown in New Orleans, monitoring message boards around the clock for threats to agents, while compiling regular updates on public “sentiment” surrounding the arrests, according to law enforcement records reviewed by The Associated Press.

The intelligence gathering comes even as officials have released few details about the first arrests made last week as part of “Catahoula Crunch,” prompting calls for greater transparency from local officials who say they've been kept in the dark about virtually every aspect of the operation.

On Wednesday, convoys of federal vehicles began rumbling back and forth down Kenner's main commercial streets as the Department of Homeland Security commenced the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations that have included surges in Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina.

AP Video by Stephen Smith