Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday imposed a partial curfew following several nights of looting and violence during protests against United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
The curfew is in place from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time and affects only one square mile of downtown LA. It is expected to last for at least several days while Bass decides how to proceed. The LA Police Department said mass arrests have already been made since the curfew took effect.
This past Sunday, two days after demonstrations began in LA, U.S. President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 members of the National Guard to the city. The following afternoon, he additionally deployed 700 Marines.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said the move is only escalating tensions in LA and eroding public trust. Per CNN, some law enforcement officers also consider the deployment of the National Guard an overreaction that runs the risk of backfiring, as it may incite other protestors to violence.
The day the demonstrations in LA began, federal agents raided four businesses suspected of employing undocumented immigrants. Similar protests have since broken out in other major U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta. Multiple arrests have also been made at ICE protests in New York, which have been mostly peaceful.