Los Angeles protests: Night curfew in downtown LA as Trump sends troops to curb unrest

In a controversial move, Trump ordered the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles on Tuesday.

A nighttime curfew was imposed in downtown Los Angeles late Tuesday evening as city officials grappled with escalating unrest over immigration arrests, unrest that US President Donald Trump has branded a "foreign invasion."

The curfew, announced by Mayor Karen Bass, applies to a one-square-mile zone between 8 pm and 6 am and exempts only residents, journalists, and emergency services.

“I have declared a local emergency and issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting,” she said.

The protests, initially peaceful, erupted into chaos after dark.

Demonstrators had gathered to voice opposition to the detention of migrants in a city with a large immigrant and Latino population. However, nightfall has seen outbreaks of looting, graffiti, and arson. Police said 23 businesses were looted on Monday night alone, bringing total arrests over several days to more than 500.

Similar protests have also been reported in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and San Francisco.

In a controversial move, Trump ordered the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles early Tuesday. The Pentagon confirmed the troops would help secure federal buildings and accompany immigration officers, at a cost of $134 million.

Photos released by the Marine Corps showed troops training with riot gear, prompting outrage from critics.

Speaking from Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Trump described the unrest as “a full-blown assault on peace, public order, and national sovereignty,” blaming “rioters bearing foreign flags” for what he called an attempted invasion of the U.S.

California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the military deployment as “the behavior of a tyrant, not a president.” In a federal court filing, Newsom has sought an injunction to limit the role of the military, arguing that using them for policing duties violates the Constitution.

Legal experts described the deployment as “incredibly rare,” noting that U.S. law typically prohibits the use of active-duty forces for civilian law enforcement unless an insurrection is declared.

A court hearing on the matter is scheduled for Thursday.