Los Angeles officials imposed a downtown curfew Tuesday as protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown entered their fifth day and tensions escalated with the deployment of National Guard troops.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom filed an emergency court request to halt the Guard’s support for federal immigration agents, calling the move a “military dragnet” that risked inflaming unrest in the nation’s second-largest city. Some troops have been seen standing alongside agents during arrests.
A federal judge delayed an immediate ruling, allowing operations to continue until a hearing set for Thursday.
The deployment marks a shift toward direct involvement in law enforcement functions, including detentions, as Trump pushes for tougher immigration enforcement. While the Guard can temporarily detain individuals threatening officers, formal arrests remain the responsibility of law enforcement.
Trump has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines over the objections of city and state leaders. The Marines have not yet been spotted in Los Angeles, and Guard troops have had limited engagement with protesters. They were originally deployed to protect federal buildings.
As the curfew went into effect, a police helicopter flew over downtown federal buildings that have been the center of protests and ordered people to leave the area. Riot police on horseback and on foot surrounded a group of a few hundred demonstrators, shouting: “Move!” Most protesters scattered, though some regrouped and refused orders to disperse.
Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators looking to cause trouble.
Demonstrations have spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin, Texas; Chicago; and New York, where about 1,000 people rallied and multiple arrests were made.
In Texas, where police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said Texas National Guard troops were “on standby” in areas where demonstrations are planned, spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said Tuesday evening.
Guard members were deployed to San Antonio, according to Assistant Police Chief Jesse Salame. He said he did not know how many were sent or details of the deployment.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency and said the curfew would run from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday.
“We reached a tipping point,” Bass said during a news conference, after 23 businesses were looted.
The curfew covers a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (nearly 2,300 square kilometers).
The curfew doesn’t apply to residents who live in the designated area, people who are homeless, credentialed media, or public safety and emergency officials, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
McDonnell said “unlawful and dangerous behavior” had been escalating since Saturday.
“The curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city,” McDonnell said.
Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion, enforce federal laws, or respond to domestic violence. It is one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president.
“If there’s an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We’ll see,” he said from the Oval Office.
Later, the president called protesters “animals” and “a foreign enemy” in a speech at Fort Bragg that was ostensibly to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms, which Bass and Newsom say are far from the truth.
In a public address Tuesday evening, Newsom called Trump’s actions the start of an “assault” on democracy.
“California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next,” he said.
Newsom warned people against inciting violence but urged them to stand up to the president’s actions.
“What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence. To be complicit in this moment,” he said. “Do not give it to him.”
The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend. Police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades.
The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown in the city of 4 million. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall, and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids.
Despite the protests, immigration enforcement activity has continued throughout the county, with city leaders and community groups reporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement present at libraries, car washes and hardware stores. School graduations in Los Angeles have increased security over fears of ICE activity, and some have offered parents the option to watch via Zoom.
McDonnell said police made 197 arrests Tuesday, including 67 taken into custody for unlawfully occupying part of the 101 Freeway.
Several businesses were broken into Monday, though authorities did not say if the looting was tied to the protests.
The vast majority of arrests have been for failing to disperse. A few others were for assault with a deadly weapon, looting, vandalism and attempted murder for allegedly tossing a Molotov cocktail. Seven police officers were reportedly injured; at least two were hospitalized and later released.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested Tuesday that the use of troops inside the U.S. will continue to expand.
The Pentagon said deploying the National Guard and Marines costs $134 million.
