Mayor Karen Bass announced a curfew for downtown Los Angeles as protests against Donald Trump‘s immigration crackdown and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement continued on Tuesday. The latest development has been initiated “to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting,” with the curfew set to start at 8 pm (US time) Tuesday. It is expected to be lifted around 6 am on Wednesday. Those breaking it will be arrested by law enforcement.

In her announcement, Bass underlined that the decision had been taken in light of 23 businesses being looted on Monday night. Headlines are also rife with vandalism, along with alleged attacks on federal agents and official vehicles. She called the previous night’s widespread violence the “tipping point” that led her to instate the partial curfew after its consideration for several days.

LA arrests: Dismissing fears of a citywide curfew, Bass noted, “What is happening in this 1 square mile is not affecting the city.” Meanwhile, LA Police chief Jim McDonnell said that the curfew was needed to save lives and prevent properties from being destroyed. “Since Saturday we’ve seen a concerning escalation in unlawful and dangerous behaviour,” he added, while informing that 27 people were arrested on Sunday, followed by 40 arrests on Sunday, 114 on Monday. At the time of writing, the number of apprehensions had soared to 197 apprehensions on Tuesday.

ALSO READ

LA Mayor Karen Bass reiterates sentiments, calls on Trump to stop immigration raids

At the same time, the LA mayor also asserted that she started the reach-out to President Donald Trump on Tuesday and would issue updates as and when any emerge. Additionally, she again insisted on the Republican leader stopping the ICE raids. “I think about the families who are afraid to go to work and go to school,” she said. “We have to look at the contribution that the immigrant population makes to our local economy… When you frighten immigrants and they don’t want to come to work, you are hitting at the heart of our local economy.”

California Gov against Trump’s use of National Guard; warning to violent protesters

On the other side, California Governor Gavin Newsom also targetted Trump, calling out his “brazen abuse of power” by deploying the Nation Guard troops (now 4,000) – an act that put “our people, our officers, and even our National Guard at risk.” Although he honoured their value to the country, he simultaneously questioned why men and women trained for foreign combat were being used for domestic law enforcement. “We honour their service, we honour their bravery,” he continued. “We don’t want our streets militarised by our own armed forces – not in LA, not in California.”

ALSO READ

In addition to putting other Republicans under scanner for failing to counter Trump, Newsom appealed protesters to carry out their demonstrations peacefully. “Several dozen law-breakers became violent and destructive,” he said. “They vandalised property, they tried to assault police officers.” He further warned that such people inciting violence or destroying community would ultimately be held accountable for their actions.

Just this week, the FBI identified the masked man accused of assaulting a federal agent as Compton’s Elipidio Reyna. Having added him to the ‘Most Wanted’ list, the US agency also announced a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

Newsom’s bid to block Trump’s deployment of National Guard

A federal judge in San Francisco blocked the California governor’s request to for a restraining order seeking to stop Trump’s use of Marine and National Guard. Another hearing on the matter has been scheduled for Thursday afternoon by Judge Charles R Breyer.

“Trump is turning the US military against American citizens,” Newsom wrote in a post on X.

ICE on National Guard

ICE has since issued a statement on National Guard’s involvement in the LA scene, noting they were “providing security at federal facilities and protecting federal officers who are out on daily enforcement operations.” Moreover, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said on Tuesday that the troops were committed to removing the “worst of the worst of Los Angeles.”

Issuing a warning for those inciting violence, McLaughlin added, “If any rioters attack ICE law enforcement officers, military personnel have the authority to temporarily detain them until law enforcement makes the arrest. The violence against ICE law enforcement must end.”