July 12, 2025
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police swiftly enforced a downtown curfew, making arrests moments after it took effect, while deploying officers on horseback and using crowd control projectiles to break up a group of hundreds demonstrating against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Members of the National Guard stood watch behind plastic shields, but did not appear to participate in the arrests Tuesday night.
Hours later, many of the protesters had dispersed, although sporadic confrontations continued that were much smaller than in previous nights. Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators looking to cause trouble.
The sometimes violent demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown, and the curfew covers a 1-square-mile 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.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency on the fifth day of protests and said the curfew would run from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday. She said it was expected to last for several days.
“We reached a tipping point” after 23 businesses were looted, Bass said Tuesday.
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, said Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
He said “unlawful and dangerous behavior” had been escalating since Saturday and that the curfew was needed to protect lives and property.
The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters assaulted police, blocked a major freeway, set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades.
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, vandalism, and attempted murder for tossing a Molotov cocktail. At least seven police officers have been injured.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, with some guardsmen now standing in protection around agents as they carried out arrests. He said it would only heighten tensions and civil unrest. The judge set a hearing for Thursday.
The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement.
Trump has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines over the objections of city and state leaders. They were originally deployed to protect federal buildings.
He posted on the Truth Social platform that the city “would be burning to the ground” if he had not sent in the military.
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 had made 197 arrests on Tuesday, including 67 who were taken into custody for unlawfully occupying part of the 101 freeway, according to the city's chief.
