The mayor of Los Angeles is imposing a nighttime curfew to curtail the continuing anti-ICE riots and combat looting and vandalism amid the chaos.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass (D.) announced a curfew beginning at 8 p.m. Pacific time in downtown Los Angeles and lifting at 6 a.m. She warned violators that law-enforcement officers would arrest them.
“I issued a curfew starting tonight at 8pm for Downtown Los Angeles to stop bad actors who are taking advantage of the President’s chaotic escalation,” Bass said.
“If you do not live or work in Downtown L.A., avoid the area. Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted.”
Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom (D.) have faced criticism for allowing the riots against Immigration and Customs Enforcement to get out of hand and for taking a soft-handed approach. Both Democrats have attacked President Trump and his administration for quickly sending in the National Guard to quell the violence after local law enforcement was overwhelmed.
“If I didn’t ‘SEND IN THE TROOPS’ to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now,” Trump said Tuesday morning on Truth Social.
Trump and Newsom have exchanged heated rhetoric over Newsom’s handling of the rioting and Trump’s decision to quickly intervene. Newsom has cast Trump as an authoritarian, wannabe dictator for mobilizing the National Guard to stop the violence.
President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have sent 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to L.A. to assist and protect ICE agents carrying out their duties. Earlier Tuesday, Newsom unsuccessfully sought to have a judge immediately intervene and stop the Trump administration from using military personnel to temper the rioting.
“People forget that violating immigration law is a crime. If you’re here in the country illegally, . . . you did commit a federal crime. And as a law enforcement agency, we won’t walk away from those crimes,” acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told Fox News.
Looting became widespread in downtown L.A. on Monday night, with groups seen stealing from multiple stores. The riots continued Tuesday afternoon as protesters could be seen facing off with law enforcement and attempting to block the 101 freeway. Over the weekend, rioters obstructed and assaulted law officers, blocked traffic, committed acts of vandalism, damaged government vehicles, and burned autonomous Waymo cars to protest ICE’s enforcement of immigration law.
Rioters have prominently displayed the Mexican flag during their demonstrations against the Trump administration’s attempt to deport illegal immigrants back to Mexico and other nations. Some left-wing activists have worn the Palestinian keffiyeh at the riots, a garment common at anti-Israel and antisemitic protests.