The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has conducted “mass arrests” shortly after the start of a curfew in a small part of the city imposed by Mayor Karen Bass.
Bass declared an overnight curfew after saying businesses were being vandalized and looted.
At an earlier press conference, the LAPD said nearly 200 people had already been arrested on Tuesday, up from 27 people arrested on Saturday, 40 on Sunday and 114 on Monday.
There have now been five days of protests in LA over immigration raids and protests have also taken place in other cities including New York, where police said there were “multiple” arrests
On Tuesday night, California Governor Gavin Newsom criticised President Trump for sending in the National Guard. He called it a “brazen abuse of power” and said the president was inflaming “a combustible situation”
Trump defended his decision to send in 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines, saying it was to prevent the city being “conquered by a foreign enemy”.
Meanwhile, the CNN reports that protesters faced off with members of the California National Guard and US Customs and Border Protection agents who were holding up shields outside the Federal Building as people continued to protest in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles that begun on June 10, 2025.
Hundreds of Marines were due to arrive in Los Angeles on June 10 after US President Donald Trump ordered their deployment in response to protests against immigration arrests and despite objections by state officials.
The 700 troops will join National Guard soldiers, amping up the militarization of the tense situation in the sprawling city, which is home to millions of foreign-born and Latino residents. The unrest was sparked by a sudden intensification of Trump’s signature campaign to deport illegal migrants, with raids conducted on workplaces.
• Curfew plans: The curfew issued for parts of downtown Los Angeles last night will continue tonight, the police department said on social media. Earlier, Mayor Karen Bass said the number of people arrested last night was “minor” and she hopes no one is arrested tonight.
• Nationwide spread: Meanwhile, similar protests are popping up in other major US cities, including New York, Chicago, Austin and Washington, DC. More demonstrations are planned this week.
• Marines undergoing training: The Trump administration today urged a federal judge to reject California’s bid for an emergency court order that would limit how officials can use Marines and the National Guard. The 700 Marines mobilized to the LA area were still undergoing training as of this morning, and it is not yet clear when they will be deployed to help with protests, according to a US Northern Command spokesperson.
