On Tuesday, the fifth day of protests against President Trump’s immigration crackdown, a downtown curfew was put in place. Trump’s use of the National Guard increased, and the governor said he was casting a “military dragnet” across the country’s second-largest city.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom asked a court to stop the military from helping federal immigration agents right away. As a result, some guardsmen were standing around agents while they were arresting people. He said it would only make things worse and lead to social unrest. The judge didn’t make a decision right away, so the government had a few days to keep doing those things before the hearing on Thursday.
As part of Trump’s plan to crack down on illegal immigrants, the change brings troops closer to doing law enforcement work like deportations. When people attack police officers, the Guard can briefly hold them, but in the end, law enforcement would make the arrests.
Even though city and state leaders didn’t want to, Trump called up more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines. The Marines haven’t been seen in Los Angeles yet, and Guard troops haven’t had much interaction with protesters. At first, they were sent to protect government buildings.
A police helicopter flew over the downtown government buildings that have been the site of protests and told people to leave as the curfew began. Police on horses and on foot circled a group of about a hundred people who had gathered in the area and yelled, “Move!” Most of the marchers went their separate ways, but some gathered again and refused to follow orders to leave.
The curfew was put in place to stop people who want to cause trouble from stealing and vandalizing property.
Protests have spread to places across the country, such as Dallas and Austin, Texas, as well as Chicago and New York, where over 1,000 people gathered and several people were arrested.
On Monday, police in Austin, Texas, used chemical irritants to move several hundred protesters away. On Tuesday evening, Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesman for Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, said that Texas National Guard troops were “on standby” in places where protests are planned.
Assistant police chief Jesse Salame said that guard members were sent to San Antonio. He said he didn’t know how many were sent or why they were sent.
There will be a curfew in LA next week.
Because of a local emergency, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass put in place a curfew from Tuesday at 8 p.m. to Wednesday at 6 a.m.
After 23 stores were broken into, Bass told reporters, “We reached a tipping point.”
A 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) part of downtown is under curfew. This includes the area where protests have been going on since Friday. About 500 square miles (2,300 square kilometers) make up the city of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell says that the curfew doesn’t affect people who live in the designated area, people who are homeless, members of the media with credentials, or public safety and emergency workers.
McDonnell said that since Saturday, “illegal and dangerous behavior” had been getting worse.
After several days of rising tensions in the city, McDonnell said, “the curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property.”
Trump says he’s ready to use the Insurrection Act.
Trump did not rule out using the Insurrection Act, which lets the president send military troops inside the U.S. to stop rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in some situations. It’s one of the most extreme emergency tools a U.S. president can use.
“Of course I would start an uprising if there was one.” “Let’s see,” he said from the White House.
Later, in a speech at Fort Bragg meant to honor the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, the president called the protesters “animals” and “a foreign enemy.”
Trump has said some very bad things about Los Angeles that Bass and Newsom say are not even close to true.
Newsom said it was the beginning of a “assault” on democracy in a public speech on Tuesday night.
“California may be the first, but it’s clear that this is not the end.” “Next are other states,” he said.
Newsom told people not to stir up violence but to speak out against what the president is doing.
“The only thing Donald Trump wants is for you to love him and keep quiet.” “To take part in this moment,” he said. “Don’t give it to him.”
On Friday, dozens of workers in Los Angeles were held during federal immigration raids. This led to the start of the protests. Over the weekend, protesters blocked a major road and set cars on fire. Police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades to clear the area.
Most of the protests have been in the city’s downtown area, which is home to 4 million people. Thousands of people calmly protested outside of City Hall, and hundreds more protested outside of a federal complex that has a detention center where some immigrants are being held after being arrested at work.
Even though there were protests, immigration enforcement has continued across the county. City leaders and community groups say that ICE has been seen at libraries, car washes, and Home Depots. Because people in Los Angeles are afraid of ICE action, school graduations have become safer, and some have let parents watch on Zoom.
197 people were arrested on Tuesday, McDonnell said. Of those, 67 were taken into custody for illegally using part of the 101 freeway.
Monday, several stores were broken into, but the police wouldn’t say if the thefts had anything to do with the protests.
Most of the people who have been arrested for not dispersing have been charged with attack with a deadly weapon, theft, vandalism, and attempted murder for throwing a Molotov cocktail. Seven police officers were hurt, and at least two were taken to the hospital and then released.
On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the use of troops in the U.S. will continue to grow.
The Pentagon said it costs $134 million to send the National Guard and Marines to fight.
Copp and Baldor wrote from Washington. This story was written with help from the Associated Press’s Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, Hallie Golden in Seattle, and Greg Bull in Seal Beach, California.
