The operations were launched a day after President Donald Trump said he’d be sending National Guard troops to New Orleans and disparaged Somali immigrants in Minneapolis.

Federal agents are fanning out in the Democratic-led city, where activists have prepared with “know your rights” courses.

The Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown have now began in New Orleans and Minneapolis. A senior law enforcement administration official in Minneapolis tells NBC News that ICE officers are “not specifically targeting” the city’s large Somali population,

A New Orleans City Council meeting descended into chaos after anti-ICE protesters stormed the chambers in response to DHS’s newly announced Operation Catahoula Crunch, a two-month immigration enforcement surge deploying 250 Border Patrol agents across New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana.

A federal immigration operation launched in New Orleans. Zooming out: Immigration enforcement escalations have targeted Democrat-led cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Charlotte, and officers have faced allegations of civil rights abuses. Trump announced he will pardon a Democratic congressman.