Los Angeles protests: Over 20 arrested, tensions persist amid Trump immigration raids and military deployment
While officials reported fewer clashes compared to earlier demonstrations, the presence of heavily armed troops and ongoing immigration raids kept tensions high across the city.
The curfew, covering a one-square-mile area at the heart of downtown, was enacted following five consecutive days of protests that have now spread to cities like Chicago, Austin, Dallas, and New York. 'If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue,' said Mayor Karen Bass.
Federal immigration enforcement actions triggered the unrest, with Los Angeles authorities and residents accusing the administration of creating panic by raiding workplaces and separating families. 'When you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart… you're trying to cause fear and panic,' Bass added.
Some 2,000 National Guard troops were already deployed, half guarding federal buildings and ICE agents.
An additional 700 Marines are expected to join once trained, while another 2,000 troops are scheduled for deployment by Thursday. Army Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman said this operation, overseen by Task Force 51, aims to secure sensitive infrastructure.
California Governor Gavin Newsom criticised Trump's move as a 'military dragnet' and sought an emergency court order to stop the Guard from assisting immigration enforcement.
Trump, however, defended the deployment, posting that the city 'would be burning to the ground' without military intervention.
Across the country, parallel protests erupted. In New York, police detained 86 people during overnight protests in Manhattan. In Chicago, a 66-year-old woman was injured after being struck by a car during demonstrations. In Texas, where protests have also flared, the state's National Guard has been placed on standby.
Federal authorities also announced charges against two individuals accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at police in LA, warning that more prosecutions may follow. 'If you took part in these riots and were looking to cause trouble, we will come looking for you,' U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said.
Meanwhile, Trump escalated rhetoric, calling protesters 'animals' and 'a foreign enemy,' to which Newsom responded by accusing the president of launching an 'assault on democracy.'
The ongoing raids and arrests have heightened public anxiety, with reports of ICE agents operating at libraries, car washes, and schools, prompting some LA graduations to increase security or go virtual.
Since the protests began, police have detained over 200 people, many for failing to disperse. Seven officers have been injured, and charges ranging from vandalism to assault have been filed. Despite the unrest, protesters continue to rally outside City Hall and federal buildings demanding an end to the raids and mass detentions.
Police detained more than 20 people, mostly on curfew violations, on the first night of restrictions in downtown Los Angeles and used crowd-control projectiles to break up hundreds of protesters demonstrating against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, officials said Wednesday.
But there were fewer clashes between police and demonstrators than on previous nights, and by daybreak, the downtown streets were bustling with residents walking dogs and commuters clutching coffee cups.
Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators after five days of protests, which have mostly been concentrated downtown. Demonstrations have also spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin in Texas, and Chicago and New York, where thousands rallied and more arrests were made.
LA's nightly curfew, which the mayor said would remain in effect as long as necessary, covers a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section that includes an area where protests have occurred since Friday in the sprawling city of 4 million.
The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (1,295 square kilometers).
"If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue," Mayor Karen Bass said.
The tensions in LA and elsewhere emerged as immigration authorities seek to dramatically increase the number of daily arrests across the country.
Bass said the raids spread fear across the city at the behest of the White House.
"We started off by hearing the administration wanted to go after violent felons, gang members, drug dealers," she told a news conference. "But when you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you run armored caravans through our streets, you're not trying to keep anyone safe. You're trying to cause fear and panic."
Referring to the protests, she added: "If you drive a few blocks outside of downtown, you don't know that anything is happening in the city at all."
Some 2,000 National Guard soldiers are in the city, and about half of them have been protecting federal buildings and agents, said Army Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, head of Task Force 51, which is overseeing the deployment of National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles.
About 700 Marines will soon join the Guard troops, but they are still undergoing training and will not be mobilized Wednesday, Sherman said. Another 2,000 Guard troops should be on the streets by Thursday, he said.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has accused Trump of drawing a "military dragnet" across the nation's second-largest city with his escalating use of the National Guard, which Trump activated, along with the Marines, over the objections of city and state leaders.
Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents. The assistance includes some guardsmen now standing protectively around agents as they carry out arrests.
A judge set a hearing for Thursday, giving the administration several days to continue its activities.
The change moves the military closer to engaging in law enforcement actions such as deportations, as Trump has promised as part of his immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests would be made by law enforcement.
The president posted on the Truth Social platform that the city "would be burning to the ground" if he had not sent in the military.
Meanwhile in New York City, police said they took 86 people into custody during protests in lower Manhattan that lasted into Wednesday morning. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful.
A 66-year-old woman in Chicago was injured when she was struck by a car during downtown protests Tuesday evening, police said. Video showed a car speeding down a street where people were protesting.
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.
Guard members were sent to San Antonio, but Police Chief William McManus said he had not been told how many troops were deployed or their role ahead of planned protests Wednesday night and Saturday.
Authorities announce arrests in protests Two people accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at police during the LA protests over the weekend face charges that could bring up to 10 years in prison, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. No one was injured by the devices.
One of the suspects is a U.S. citizen, and the other overstayed a tourist visa and was in the U.S. illegally, authorities said.
"We are looking at hundreds of people," U.S.
Attorney Bill Essayli said. "If you took part in these riots and were looking to cause trouble, we will come looking for you."
Trump, Newsom locked in a war of words Trump has called the protesters "animals" and "a foreign enemy" and described Los Angeles in dire terms that the governor says is nowhere close to the truth.
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.
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, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades.
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 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement present at libraries, car washes and Home Depots. School graduations in Los Angeles have increased security over fears of ICE action, and some have offered parents the option to watch on Zoom.
Los Angeles police detained 200 people related to the protests throughout the day on Tuesday, including 67 who were occupying a freeway, according to the city's chief.
The majority of arrests since the protests began have been for failing to disperse, while a few others were for assault with a deadly weapon, looting and vandalism. At least seven police officers have been injured.
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