Los Angeles police report having made “mass arrests” following a fifth day of protests sparked by President Donald Trump’s immigration raids. Mayor Karen Bass declared an overnight curfew in the city’s downtown district, citing vandalism and looting of businesses. Amid a growing political controversy, Trump defended his decision to deploy 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles, vowing to “liberate” the city and prevent it from being “conquered by a foreign enemy.”
The immigration raids that ignited the protests last Friday have continued, with deployed National Guard troops now providing security for border control agents during enforcement operations. Protests have also spread to other cities across the US. After the curfew took effect at 20:00 local time on Tuesday (03:00 GMT on Wednesday), police dispersed crowds in downtown areas, using rubber bullets. The Los Angeles Police Department reported that “multiple groups” were still congregating in the district after the curfew.
Over 200 People Arrested On Tuesday Night
While the exact number of arrests was not confirmed in the evening update, the mayor stated that nearly 200 people had been detained on Tuesday alone, in addition to dozens of arrests made in previous days. Mayor Bass explained the curfew, stating that she had declared a local emergency “to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting.” She said, “We reached a tipping point.” The curfew order affects a relatively small, one-square-mile area in the second-largest city in the United States. Chaotic protests also erupted in several other US cities on Tuesday:
• In Atlanta, Georgia, riot police deployed tear gas against protesters who were firing fireworks at officers during a demonstration attended by hundreds.
• Police in New York informed the media that dozens were arrested for blocking vehicular traffic after several thousand people marched into lower Manhattan.
• Texas Governor Greg Abbott dispatched National Guard troops to San Antonio, where immigration rallies were planned.
Related Stories
Trump Imposes Tariffs On Global Trade, Ghana Hit With 10%
Trump Halts Flights For Over 1000 Refugees Slated For US
9 Strong Reforms Trump Implemented On His First Day In Office
Businesses Looted In Curfew
LA’s mayor stated that 23 businesses had been looted on Monday night, but did not provide an estimated financial loss to the city resulting from the often-violent unrest. Outside of the affected downtown area, life continued as usual throughout the sprawling city, with tens of thousands of children attending school, commuter traffic gridlocking the streets, and tourists visiting Hollywood Boulevard.
LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell emphasized that the curfew was “not about silencing voices” but a necessary measure to protect lives and property. Mayor Bass also attributed the unrest to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Latino areas of the city in recent days. “If [the raids are] going to go on for 30 days, and that’s what the rumour is, and, if we want to see our city peaceful again, I will call upon the administration one more time to end the raids,” she said.
National Guard Assists ICE in Immigration Raids as Trump Defends Deployment
On Tuesday, National Guard troops, previously stationed to guard federal buildings, began assisting ICE agents with their “daily enforcement operations,” a spokesperson for the border agency confirmed to the BBC. Marines were deployed to guard federal officials and property, according to Marine Corps General Eric Smith, who clarified that they do not have arrest authority.
The Pentagon estimated the cost of the military deployment to the LA area at $134m (£99m). Addressing troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, President Trump described the protests as a “full-blown assault on peace and public order.” He stated his intention to use “every asset at our disposal to quell the violence.”
California Governor Condemns “Abuse of Power”
Meanwhile, the political conflict between Trump and state officials has intensified. In televised remarks on Tuesday night, California Governor Gavin Newsom responded sharply to the president’s unusual deployment of the American military for a domestic law-enforcement situation.
“This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers, and even our National Guard, at risk,” he stated. Earlier in the day, a federal court rejected an emergency request from California to block the use of troops sent to Los Angeles. District Judge Charles Breyer scheduled a hearing on the motion for Thursday. Trump has set a goal for border agents of at least 3,000 daily arrests as he seeks to accelerate mass deportations, a key promise of his re-election campaign.
Since taking office, the president has significantly reduced illegal crossings at the US-Mexico border to historically low levels. A CBS News/YouGov poll conducted in early June, before the protests began, showed that 54% of Americans approved of Trump’s deportation policy, and 50% approved of his handling of immigration. This contrasts with lower approval ratings of 42% for his economic policy and 39% for his approach to tackling inflation.
