LOS ANGELES (Realist English). City officials in Los Angeles imposed a curfew across a section of downtown Tuesday evening, following five consecutive days of protests sparked by a sweeping immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump. The decision came as the administration escalated the use of National Guard troops, prompting Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom to seek emergency judicial intervention and accuse the White House of building a “military dragnet” in America’s second-largest city.
Governor Newsom filed a legal motion to halt military support for federal immigration enforcement, warning it would only provoke unrest. “California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next,” he said in a televised address. A federal judge deferred ruling, allowing troop operations to continue until a Thursday hearing.
The curfew—declared by Mayor Karen Bass as part of a local emergency—runs from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday and covers a one-square-mile area at the heart of the protests. “We reached a tipping point,” Bass said, citing the looting of 23 businesses. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell defended the decision as a necessary step to halt “unlawful and dangerous behavior” that has escalated since the weekend. The order exempts residents, the homeless, credentialed journalists, and emergency personnel.
Tuesday night saw riot police on horseback and on foot enforcing the curfew, surrounding a crowd of hundreds outside federal buildings. A police helicopter broadcast warnings from above: “Move!” While most demonstrators dispersed, smaller groups refused and were detained. Authorities reported 197 arrests, including 67 individuals for blocking the 101 freeway.
The unrest began Friday, after federal agents detained dozens of undocumented workers in workplace raids. Over the weekend, protesters shut down highways, set vehicles on fire, and clashed with police deploying tear gas and rubber bullets. Demonstrations have since spread to cities including Dallas, Chicago, and New York. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott placed the state National Guard on standby, and troops were seen in San Antonio.
President Trump, who has activated more than 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines, said he is considering invoking the Insurrection Act—a rare legal authority allowing military intervention in domestic law enforcement. “If there’s an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We’ll see,” he said from the Oval Office. Later, speaking at Fort Bragg, he referred to protesters as “animals” and “a foreign enemy.”
The president’s rhetoric was sharply rebuked by California officials. “This is an assault on democracy,” Newsom warned. “What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence. Do not give it to him.”
Despite widespread protests, immigration enforcement has continued across Los Angeles County. Community groups report ICE agents operating at schools, libraries, and commercial sites. Some school districts have boosted security and allowed parents to attend graduations via Zoom out of fear of deportation raids.
The majority of arrests have been for failure to disperse, though others face more serious charges, including vandalism, looting, and attempted murder involving a Molotov cocktail. At least seven officers were injured in the clashes, two requiring hospitalization.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the domestic use of troops is expected to grow. The Pentagon estimates the deployment of Guard and Marine units in Los Angeles will cost approximately $134 million.
The situation continues to test the limits of civil-military boundaries in domestic law enforcement and has intensified the national debate over immigration, federal power, and civil liberties.
