Mayor Karen Bass Declares 'Local Emergency,' Orders Curfew to Address 'Crisis in DTLA'

President Donald Trump has significantly broadened the use of presidential powers to restrict immigration, most recently through two sweeping proclamations issued in early June 2025. These measures have sparked widespread protests and legal challenges, particularly due to their impact on international students and immigrants from numerous countries.

Key Proclamations

• Nationality-Based Travel Ban: Trump enacted a major travel ban affecting nationals from 19 countries. For 12 of these countries, both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa issuance is suspended; for the remaining seven, the restrictions target immigrant visas and certain nonimmigrant categories (B, F, M, J visas). The ban took effect on June 9, 2025, but does not apply to individuals already present in the U.S. or those with valid visas as of that date. There are exceptions for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, certain humanitarian cases, and other specific categories.

• Harvard Student Visa Ban: In a separate proclamation, Trump suspended the issuance of F, M, and J visas for foreign nationals seeking to begin studies at Harvard University. This ban is set for at least six months and is unprecedented in its targeting of a single institution. The Secretary of State has also been directed to consider revoking visas for current Harvard students under certain conditions.

Legal and Political Context

Trump’s actions are rooted in Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which gives the president broad authority to bar the entry of foreign nationals deemed “detrimental to the interests of the United States.” While previous presidents used this power sparingly—typically to target individuals involved in terrorism, human rights abuses, or specific international crises—Trump has applied it far more broadly, affecting entire populations and even green card holders in some cases.

Many of these moves have faced legal challenges. Courts initially blocked earlier versions of Trump’s travel bans, but the Supreme Court ultimately upheld a revised version in 2018, affirming the president’s sweeping discretion under Section 212(f). In the latest round, a federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily blocked the ban on Harvard students, allowing visa processing to resume while litigation continues.

Motivations and Criticisms

The administration claims these measures are necessary for national security and to prevent visa overstays. The White House has also cited Harvard’s alleged failure to address antisemitism and “troubling foreign connections” as justification for the student visa ban. Critics, however, argue that these actions are politically and ideologically motivated, targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and retaliating against institutions perceived as oppositional to the administration’s policies.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent in the 2018 Supreme Court ruling highlighted evidence of anti-Muslim animus in Trump’s rhetoric and policies, raising constitutional concerns about religious discrimination.

Exemptions and Practical Impact

Both proclamations include exceptions for green card holders, individuals already present in the U.S., and athletes participating in international events. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are also exempted from the nationality-based ban. However, the majority of prospective immigrants and international students from the affected countries will face significant new barriers.

Broader Implications

Trump’s aggressive use of Section 212(f) has set a new precedent for presidential authority over immigration, with the Supreme Court’s deference reinforcing this expanded power. The specificity of the new bans—targeting only prospective entrants and citing national security—may make them more resilient to legal challenges. Nonetheless, immigrant advocates are increasingly looking to Congress for legislative solutions to curb executive overreach and protect family unity and educational opportunities for foreign nationals.

In summary, Trump’s latest travel bans represent a dramatic escalation in the use of executive power to restrict immigration, with immediate consequences for international students, families, and legal immigrants from dozens of countries, as well as for the future of U.S. higher education and immigration policy.

 President Donald Trump used a speech honoring soldiers on Tuesday to defend his decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles in a confrontation over his immigration policy, a move critics have decried as a politically motivated overreaction.

"Generations of Army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness," Trump told soldiers at the Army base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

"What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and on national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags," Trump said, adding his administration would "liberate Los Angeles."

Trump's visit to Fort Bragg, home to some 50,000 active-duty soldiers, followed his move to deploy 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in an escalating response to street protests over his immigration policies.

The Republican president said the military deployment was needed to protect federal property and personnel. California's Democratic-led government has sued to block Trump's move, calling it an abuse of power and an unnecessary provocation.

Street demonstrations have been underway since Friday, when activists clashed with sheriff's deputies. Los Angeles officials have said the unrest has been limited to a few downtown blocks and that the majority of demonstrators are protesting peacefully in support of immigrants.

In North Carolina, Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took part in long-scheduled commemorations of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, watching soldiers demonstrate a special forces assault and use a long-range missile launcher.

It was the first in a series of celebrations of the Army's anniversary involving Trump, ahead of a major parade in Washington on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters earlier on Tuesday in the Oval Office, Trump warned against demonstrators at that parade, saying, "They're going to be met with very big force." He made no distinction between peaceful and violent protesters. The FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department have said there are no credible threats to the event.

POMP AND POLITICS

Item 1 of 14 U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to deliver remarks during a visit to Fort Bragg to mark the U.S. Army anniversary, in North Carolina, U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

[1/14]U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to deliver remarks during a visit to Fort Bragg to mark the U.S. Army anniversary, in North Carolina, U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein Purchase Licensing Rights, opens a new tab

The week's Army commemorations combine Trump's penchant for patriotic pomp and his political positioning as a law-and-order president. Saturday's celebrations in Washington include thousands of troops, dozens of military aircraft, and coincide with Trump's 79th birthday.

The Army was established on June 14, 1775, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence.

During his speech at Fort Bragg, Trump led a crowd filled with traditionally non-partisan service members through punchlines he repeats at political rallies. He drew jeers directed at the press corps and cheers for attacks on efforts to embrace transgender service members.

He also announced that the military would rename several bases which were changed after racial justice protests in 2023, including reverting to Fort Lee, which was originally named after Civil War-era Confederate commander Robert E. Lee.

Earlier this year, Trump restored the name Fort Bragg to the base, one of the largest in the world, despite a federal law that prohibits honoring generals who fought for the South during the Civil War. His administration says the name now honors a different Bragg - Private First Class Roland Bragg, who served during World War Two. In 2023, the base had been renamed Fort Liberty.

Since launching his second term in office in January, Trump has made the military a focus of his efforts. The president's cost-cutting government reforms have largely spared the Defense Department's nearly $1 trillion annual budget. He has pledged to avoid international conflict while launching new weapons programs and increasing the use of the military domestically, including in immigration enforcement.

Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, setting the ICE border enforcement agency a daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants.

Demonstrators in Los Angeles have assembled, among other places, at a government facility where immigrants are detained.

Though military forces have been deployed domestically for major disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the attacks of September 11, 2001, it is rare for troops to be used domestically during civil disturbances.

Even without declaring an insurrection, however, Trump can deploy Marines under certain conditions of law or under his authority as commander in chief.

The last time the military was used for direct police action under the Insurrection Act was in 1992, when the California governor at the time asked President George H.W. Bush to help respond to the Los Angeles riots over the acquittal of police officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King.

Seismic shifts in immigration are distorting the U.S. employment picture, making it harder for investors and policymakers to know exactly how much the labor market is actually slowing.

Assuming the Trump administration makes good on its pledge to reduce immigration, either by stopping the flow of people coming into the country or by deporting many already here, the labor supply will shrink.

The long-term impact of lower immigration is generally agreed to be negative, as new workers are needed to replace retirees, fill job vacancies, and drive economic growth. Over time, fewer new workers will likely mean lower growth.

But in the short term, a smaller pool of workers results in a tighter labor market, which keeps a lid on the unemployment rate, albeit artificially and probably temporarily. This may already be playing out.

Figures released last week showed that employment in May fell by 696,000 jobs. That's the biggest single monthly decline since the historic losses seen during the pandemic in early 2020. Some economists argue that the recent drop is a consequence of Trump's immigration crackdown.

Nonfarm payrolls rose 139,000. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, which, though higher than it was two years ago, is still historically low by any measure.

All else being equal, this points to a tight labor market, which should put upward pressure on wages and perhaps even warrant a more hawkish policy stance from the Federal Reserve.

But that is almost certainly a misreading.

When labor supply and the labor force participation rate fall, this brings down a country's so-called 'breakeven' job growth. That's the number of net new jobs the economy needs to keep up with growth in the working-age population and maintain a steady unemployment rate.

That figure is falling, and if the Trump administration toughens up its anti-immigration policies further, this decline is likely to accelerate.

U.S. immigration clampdown hits labor force - Moody's Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

U.S. net immigration to shrink well below 1 mln - Morgan Stanley Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

LOWER FOR LONGER

According to economists at Morgan Stanley, breakeven employment growth averaged 210,000 jobs a month last year and is averaging 170,000 so far this year. They reckon it will fall to 90,000 by the end of this year and 80,000 next year.

Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, goes further, estimating that the breakeven rate is "quickly approaching" 50,000 jobs a month due to weakening labor supply growth, primarily because of reduced immigration.

"The unemployment rate can remain low, but for the wrong reasons," Sweet says.

If these projections prove accurate, monthly employment and job growth could continue to slow without raising the unemployment rate. The contradictory signals this sends could create confusion for both investors and policymakers.

In his press conference after the most recent Fed policy meeting, Chair Jerome Powell repeatedly told reporters that the labor market is "solid". The unemployment rate "remains low," and the labor market is "at or near maximum employment."

If these headline indicators are the gauge, Powell is absolutely correct. But he also stressed that policymakers are looking at the "whole huge array" of labor market indicators for a truer guide.

One of those inputs in the months ahead will no doubt be net immigration. This could generate significant uncertainty, as there are substantial gray areas and wide margins of error when estimating net immigration and its impact on the labor market.

In January, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office projected net immigration of 2 million people this year and 1.5 million next year, down from an estimated 3.3 million in 2023. With Trump seemingly hardening his stance on immigration, those projections could turn out to be far too high.

Morgan Stanley's economists just slashed their immigration forecasts to 800,000 this year and 500,000 next year. If these figures prove to be closer to reality, we could soon be facing a "tight" labor market with monthly payrolls gains of well under 100,000. Pity the poor Fed Chair who has to communicate policy in that environment.

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Migrant workers were picked up at a well-known Italian restaurant in San Diego. A high school volleyball player was detained and held for deportation after a traffic stop in Massachusetts. Courthouse arrests of people who entered the U.S. legally and were not hiding.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been intensifying efforts in recent weeks to deliver on Republican President Donald Trump’s promise of record-level deportations.

The White House has demanded that the agency sharply increase arrests of migrants in the U.S. illegally, sources have told Reuters. That has meant changing tactics to achieve higher quotas of 3,000 arrests per day, far above the earlier target of 1,000 per day.

Community members and Democrats have pushed back, arguing that ICE is targeting people indiscriminately and stoking fear.

Tensions boiled over in Los Angeles over the weekend when protesters took to the streets after ICE arrested migrants at Home Depot stores, a garment factory, and a warehouse, according to migrant advocates.

“It seems like they're just arresting people they think might be in the country without status and amenable to deportation,” said Julia Gelatt, associate director of the U.S. immigration policy program at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.

The apparent shift further undercuts the Trump administration's message that they are focused on the "worst of the worst" criminal offenders, and suggests they are pursuing more people solely based on immigration violations.

Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, told Reuters in late May that the administration had deported around 200,000 people over four months. The total number of deportations during a similar period under former President Joe Biden, who faced higher levels of illegal immigration and quickly deported many recent crossers.

ICE’s operations appeared to intensify after Stephen Miller, a top White House official and the architect of Trump’s immigration agenda, excoriated senior ICE officials in a late May meeting over what he said were insufficient arrests.

During the meeting, Miller said ICE should pick up any immigration offenders and not worry about targeted operations that focus on criminals or other priorities for deportation, three people familiar with the matter said, requesting anonymity to share the details.

Miller said ICE should target stores where migrant workers often congregate, such as the home improvement retailer Home Depot and 7-Eleven convenience stores, two of the people said.

The message was “all about the numbers, not the level of criminality,” one of the people said.

Miller did not seem to be taking into account the complexities of immigration enforcement, one former ICE official said.

Item 1 of 5 Protesters hold signs during a protest by supporters of Honduran teenager Emerson Colindres, who was detained by federal immigration agents, outside the Butler County Jail, in Hamilton, Ohio, U.S., June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Megan Jelinger/File Photo

[1/5]Protesters hold signs during a protest by supporters of Honduran teenager Emerson Colindres, who was detained by federal immigration agents, outside the Butler County Jail, in Hamilton, Ohio, U.S., June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Megan Jelinger/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

In Los Angeles, for example, a 2024 court decision limits ICE’s ability to knock on doors to make immigration arrests, and local law enforcement does not cooperate fully with federal immigration authorities.

"The numbers they want are just not possible in a place like L.A. unless you go to day laborer sites and arrest every illegal alien," the former ICE official said.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended Trump’s enforcement push.

“If you are present in the United States illegally, you will be deported,” she said in a statement to Reuters. “This is the promise President Trump made to the American people, and the administration is committed to keeping it.”

A DHS spokesperson said ICE officers executed criminal search warrants at the restaurant in San Diego, that the high school volleyball player in Massachusetts was subject to deportation, and that courthouse arrests were aimed at speeding up removals of migrants who entered under Biden.

ARRESTED AT CHECK-INS

On Sunday, more than a hundred people gathered outside the jail in Butler County, Ohio, to protest the detention of Emerson Colindres, 19, a standout soccer player from Honduras who graduated from high school in May.

Colindres, who has been in the U.S. since he was 8 years old, was being monitored via an ICE “alternatives to detention” program that uses cell phone calls, ankle bracelets, and other devices to track people.

He received a text message to come in for an appointment last week and was taken into custody on arrival.

Colindres was ordered deported after his family's asylum claim was denied, but he had been appearing for regular check-ins and had a pending visa application, his mother, Ada Baquedano, said in an interview.

"They want to deport him, but he knows nothing about our country,” she said. “He’s been here since he was very little.”

The DHS spokesperson said Colindres had a final deportation order and that too many people with such orders had previously been placed on alternatives to detention.

“If you are in the country illegally and a judge has ordered you to be removed, that is precisely what will happen,” the spokesperson said.

The Migration Policy Institute’s Gelatt said detaining people at ICE check-ins will help the agency boost arrest numbers. But these are often people who are already cooperating with ICE and could cost more to detain.

Protests that sprang up in Los Angeles over immigration enforcement raids and prompted President Donald Trump to mobilize National Guard troops and Marines have begun to spread across the country, with more planned into the weekend.

From Seattle and Austin to Chicago and Washington, D.C., marchers have chanted slogans, carried signs against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and snarled traffic through downtown avenues and outside federal offices. While many have been peaceful, some have resulted in clashes with law enforcement as officers made arrests and used chemical irritants to disperse crowds.

Activists are planning more and even larger demonstrations in the coming days, with “No Kings” events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trump’s planned military parade through Washington.

The Trump administration said it would continue its program of raids and deportations despite the protests.

“ICE will continue to enforce the law,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted Tuesday on social media.

A look at some protests across the country:

Philadelphia

About 150 protesters gathered outside the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon and marched to ICE headquarters for speeches and then back to the detention center, according to Philadelphia police.

A group then walked through what police called major roads using bicycles to obstruct officers, prompting police to issue several orders for people to disperse. Police said demonstrators ignored the orders, and things escalated when officers started arresting people.

Fifteen people were arrested, one on allegations of aggravated assault on police, and the rest for disorderly conduct, police said. Several officers used force during the arrests and their conduct will be reviewed, police said. Police didn’t say specifically what kind of force was used. Two officers had minor injuries and were treated at a hospital. Two females who were arrested reported minor injuries and were receiving medical attention, police said.

About 20 people remained peacefully gathered outside the detention center as of Tuesday night, police said.

San Francisco

About 200 protesters gathered outside the San Francisco Immigration Court on Tuesday after activists said several arrests were made there.

That gathering came after protests on Sunday and Monday swelled to several thousand demonstrators and saw more than 150 arrests with outbreaks of violence that included vandalized buildings, damaged cars, police vehicles, and buses. Police said two officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Most of the arrests were on Sunday night.

“Individuals are always free to exercise their First Amendment rights in San Francisco, but violence, especially against SFPD officers, will never be tolerated,” the San Francisco police posted on social media.

Police described Monday’s march as “overwhelmingly peaceful,” but said “two small groups broke off and committed vandalism and other criminal acts.” Several people were detained or arrested, police said.

Seattle

About 50 people gathered outside the immigration court in downtown Seattle on Tuesday, chanting with drums and holding up signs that said, “Free Them All; Abolish ICE” and “No to Deportations.” Protesters began putting scooters in front of building entryways before police arrived.

Mathieu Chabaud, with Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Washington, said they were there in solidarity with the Los Angeles protesters, “and to show that we’re opposed to ICE in our community.”

Legal advocates who normally attend the immigration court hearings as observers and to provide support to immigrants were not allowed inside the building. Security guards also turned away the media. The hearings are normally open to the public.

New York City

A mass of people rallied in lower Manhattan on Tuesday evening to protest deportations and federal immigration policy.

Demonstrators gathered outside two federal buildings that house immigration courts and began marching amid a heavy police presence.

Some protesters held signs reading “ICE out of New York,” and others chanted, “Why are you in riot gear? I don’t see a riot here.”

New York City police said multiple people were taken into custody. There were no immediate charges.

Chicago

In Chicago, a small crowd gathered Tuesday outside immigration court downtown and called for an end to Trump administration immigration sweeps and military presence in California.

“With the militarization of Los Angeles, it’s time to get out and let Trump know this is unacceptable,” said retiree Gary Snyderman. “All of this is so unconstitutional.”

The group then marched through downtown streets drumming and chanting, “No more deportations! and “Trump must go now.” A woman at one point drove a car quickly through the street filled with protesters, causing them to dart out of her way. It was not immediately known whether anyone had been injured.

The demonstration had grown to at least a thousand protesters by late Tuesday, remaining relatively peaceful with limited engagement between the group and police officers.

Denver

A group of protesters gathered in front of the Colorado state capitol in Denver on Tuesday, creating a sea of cardboard signs, one exhorting: “Show your faces. ICE cowards.”

The group, inspired by the Los Angeles protests over the past several days, split in half, marching down two different thoroughfares and crowding out traffic.

A large police presence wasn’t seen initially, but a few officers began blocking a street behind the marchers.

Santa Ana

In Santa Ana near Los Angeles, armored vehicles blocked the road Tuesday morning, leading into the Civic Center, where federal immigration officers and numerous city and county agencies have their offices.

Workers swept up plastic bottles and broken glass from Monday’s protests. Tiny shards of red, black, and purple glass littered the pavement. Nearby buildings and the sidewalk were tagged with profane graffiti slogans against ICE and had Trump’s name crossed out. A worker rolled paint over graffiti on a wall to block it out.

National Guard officers wearing fatigues and carrying rifles prevented people from entering the area unless they worked there.

While a small group kept up their demonstration on Tuesday, several counter-protesters showed up. One man wore a red T-shirt and Make America Great Again cap as he exchanged words with the crowd opposing the raids.

San Antonio

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus confirmed that Texas Gov. Greg Abbot sent members of the state’s National Guard to the city in advance of protests expected this week, Assistant Chief Jesse Salame told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

“We don’t have any additional details about their deployment,” Salame said.

Soldiers were “on standby in areas where mass demonstrations are planned in case they are needed,” Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris said Tuesday evening.

Austin

Four Austin police officers were injured, and authorities used chemical irritants to disperse a crowd of several hundred demonstrators Monday night that moved between the state Capitol and a federal building that houses an ICE office. State officials had closed the Capitol to the public an hour early in anticipation of the protest.

Austin police used pepper spray balls, and state police used tear gas when demonstrators began trying to deface the federal building with spray paint. The demonstrators then started throwing rocks, bottles, and other objects at a police barricade, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said. Three officers were injured by “very large” rocks, and another was injured while making an arrest, she said.

Austin police arrested eight people, and state police arrested five more. Davis said her department is prepared for Saturday’s planned protest downtown.

“We support peaceful protest,” Davis said. “When that protest turns violent, when it turns to throwing rocks and bottles ... that will not be tolerated. Arrests will be made.”

Dallas

A protest that drew hundreds to a rally on a city bridge lasted for several hours Monday night before Dallas police declared it an “unlawful assembly” and warned people to leave or face possible arrest.

Dallas police initially posted on social media that officers would not interfere with a “lawful and peaceful assembly of individuals or groups expressing their First Amendment rights.” But officers later moved in and the media reported seeing some in the crowd throw objects as officers used pepper spray and smoke to clear the area. At least one person was arrested.

“Peaceful protesting is legal,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, posted on X. “But once you cross the line, you will be arrested.”

Boston

Hundreds of people gathered in Boston’s City Hall Plaza on Monday to protest the detention of union leader David Huerta on Friday during immigration raids in Los Angeles.

Protesters held signs reading “Massachusetts stands with our neighbors in Los Angeles” and “Protect our immigrant neighbors,” and shouted, “Come for one, come for all” and “Free David, free them all.”

Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union California, was released from federal custody later Monday on a $50,000 bond.

“An immigrant doesn’t stand between an American worker and a good job, a billionaire does,” said Chrissy Lynch, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.

Washington, D.C.

Several unions gathered Monday in Washington to protest the raids and rally for Huerta’s release, and marched past the Department of Justice building.

Among the demonstrators was U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington state.

“Enough of these mass ICE raids that are sweeping up innocent people,” Jayapal said. “As we see people exercising the constitutional rights to peacefully use their voices to speak out against this injustice, they are being met with tear gas and rubber bullets.” ___

Associated Press writers Martha Bellisle in Seattle, Sophia Tareen in Chicago, Leah Willingham in Boston, Michael Hill in New York, Jesse Bedayn in Denver, and Amy Taxin in Santa Ana, California, contributed.

An overnight curfew was declared for downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday in response to looting and vandalism that broke out during ICE protests, officials said.

The curfew is in place from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and extends east to west from the 5 Freeway to the 110 Freeway; and from north to south from the 10 Freeway to where the 110 and 5 freeways merge.

The area under curfew from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday.

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Courtesy KCAL News via City of L.A.

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L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said she made the decision to impose a curfew after 23 businesses were looted Monday night and other properties were vandalized.

"I think that if you drive through downtown L.A., the graffiti is everywhere and has caused significant damage to businesses and several properties," she said.

Bass also stressed that the area under curfew is a small fraction of the city, 1 square mile in a city that's more than 500 square miles.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell warned that non-residents who are caught within the curfew zone would face arrest.

"If you are in the curfew zone during the restricted hours without that legal exemption, you will be arrested. If you assault an officer in any fashion, you will be arrested," he said.

Catch up on where things stand

California state leaders have asked a federal court to block the Trump administration from using the military and the National Guard to police Los Angeles and other communities in the wake of immigration raids and the protests sparked as a result.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta are seeking a temporary restraining order in federal court. They filed the request Tuesday morning.

The Defense Department asked for 24 hours to file a response, and the court granted that request. Newsom and Bonta will then have an opportunity to respond.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer set a hearing on the state's motion for Thursday afternoon.

In addition, Newsom and Bonta filed a lawsuit Monday that focuses on the same issues. Bonta said this week that President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unlawfully invoked a statute intended to prevent an invasion or rebellion even though that was not the case in Los Angeles.

“It’s not just immoral — It’s illegal and dangerous. Local law enforcement, not the military, enforce the law within our borders," Bonta said in a news release Tuesday. "The President continues to inflame tensions and antagonize communities. ”

About the protests — and White House — response so far

Protesters have confronted authorities in Los Angeles, Paramount, and neighboring Compton since Friday over raids conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Tensions continued to rise Monday and Tuesday between protesters and authorities, and between federal and local officials over how to respond. As of Tuesday afternoon, aerial TV news footage showed multiple people being arrested downtown and a crowd of protesters temporarily forcing both directions of the 101 Freeway to close.

Last weekend, Trump administration officials announced they were calling up the California National Guard in response to what the White House said were "violent mobs" attacking "ICE Officers and Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations in Los Angeles."

Trump indicated he would send more members of the guard to Southern California as well as other military support.

NPR confirmed later that 700 Marines would be sent to L.A. in a support role.

The 60-day deployment of National Guard and Marines to L.A. is expected to cost $134 million, Hegseth and other defense officials told a California congressman Tuesday.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass told AirTalk, LAist's daily news talk program, she had "no idea" what the National Guard troops and Marines heading for L.A. planned to do once they arrived, but she said she was certain they were not needed. She added that the city attorney is considering taking legal action against the Trump administration, similar to what Newsom and Bonta filed, although she doesn't know yet what the lawsuit would look like.

What we know about the ICE raids to date

At a news conference Monday evening, Bass said she knew of five ICE raids that had occurred across the region, with at least two occurring within the city of L.A.

" ICE does not tell anybody where they're going to go or when they're going to be there," Bass said.  "I can't emphasize enough the level of fear and terror that is in Angelenos right now, not knowing if tomorrow or tonight it might be where they live. It might be their workplace."

The mayor condemned the actions of the federal agents.

"At the beginning of this administration, we were told raids would be to look for violent criminals, people who have warrants," she said.

"But I don't know how you go from a drug dealer to a Home Depot to people's workplaces where they're just trying to make a living. It makes me feel like our city is actually a test case for what happens when the federal government moves in and takes the authority away from the state or away from local government."

The federal immigration sweeps prompted anger, protest, and resistance from onlookers and immigrant rights groups that have braced for this type of action for months.

Outside City Hall on Sunday, Eli Lockwood of Hacienda Heights told LAist she was there for a planned demonstration to protest what she said were “disgusting attacks on our communities.”

“We have to stand united against the attacks on the immigrant community because an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us,” she said.

By Sunday morning, hundreds of National Guard members were on duty in downtown L.A., where two protests — one permitted and one not permitted — converged near the federal detention center.

The growing protest made for a rowdy and tense scene, punctuated by the sound of flash bangs and tear gas.

How are officials responding to the raids and protests?

Newsom on Sunday formally asked that Trump rescind the deployment he had ordered Saturday.

The governor called the plan to take over deployment from the state "a serious breach of state sovereignty," and "purposefully inflammatory," adding that it "will only escalate tensions," and that he'd been in "close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need."

Bass has said she supports Newsom's request, adding that she had tried to dissuade the Trump administration from sending in troops.

U.S. National Guard are deployed outside the federal prison in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following a immigration raid protest the night before.

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"The last thing this city needs is civil unrest that is provoked," she said.

Trump said the move was needed on social media, turning the governor's name into an insult: "If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!”

How is law enforcement scaling up?

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said the imminent arrival of U.S. Marines would be more of a logistical strain.

“The arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles — absent clear coordination — presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city," he said in a statement.

Now, hundreds more law enforcement officers are also heading to Los Angeles. Newsom said Monday he's working with partner agencies to send more than 800 additional state and local law enforcement officers into Los Angeles "to clean up President Trump’s mess."

"Chaos is exactly what Trump wanted, now we are sending in hundreds more law enforcement to pick up the pieces," he said in a statement. "State and local leaders stand together, coordinated and resolute to ensure the safety of the Los Angeles region.”

A protester displays a poster as tear gas is used in the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles on June 8, 2025.

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The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is now formally requesting the deployment of officers from a range of neighboring jurisdictions, including the California Highway Patrol and the sheriff's departments in Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, and Santa Barbara counties.

The competing orders came as Los Angeles officials braced for another day of protests against immigration raids that over the weekend became violent and destructive in downtown.

The Los Angeles Police Department said Monday it had arrested 50 people in connection with the protests over the weekend. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it had made five arrests, and the California Highway Patrol made 19 arrests.

The LAPD said Tuesday that there were another 113 arrests overnight — 96 on suspicion of failure to disperse in the downtown area, 14 on suspicion of looting, and one each on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, and vandalism.

Several businesses were looted, according to the department, and two officers were injured but have since been released from a local hospital.

What have the protests been like?

In addition to the gathering outside City Hall, a larger crowd assembled outside the Metropolitan Detention Center on Sunday, near where Alameda Street crosses over the 101 Freeway. Images showed National Guard troops clashing with some of the protesters.

Police officers eventually moved in to disperse the crowd before police announced that the use of less-than-lethal munitions had been authorized. The LAPD also said on X that officers had reported people in the crowd "throwing concrete, bottles, and other objects," prompting arrests.

The scene in downtown L.A. on Sunday afternoon.

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Liz Baker

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 NPR

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Television news footage showed that several Waymo self-driving cars were vandalized, including at least two that were set on fire near Olvera Street, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the air.

Anna Benedict of Echo Park told LAist earlier in the day that the demonstration had been largely peaceful.

“I mean, everybody here wants to be peaceful,” she said. “We've been standing here for quite a while, and no one is menacing the National Guard. Everybody is just standing up for their own freedom.”

What's the role of the National Guard?

Two starkly contrasting pictures of conditions in the L.A. area continued to be offered by Trump and his allies, compared with local and state officials.

While Fox News and other conservative media used captions like "L.A. Riots" and the term "rioters" was trending on X, closer to home, authorities described isolated skirmishes and urged calm. Some national outlets seem to think Paramount, where some violence was reported, was located within the city of Los Angeles.

U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragán, whose district includes Paramount, told LAist Sunday morning that she'd been in close contact with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, which patrols the area.

"We don't need additional assistance," she said. "We have everything under control... the Sheriff's [Department] in Paramount got everything under control yesterday and LAPD has cleared out downtown last night without the help of the National Guard."

The Sheriff's Department told LAist that two deputies had been injured Saturday, treated at a hospital, and released. It also said people threw bottles and set off fireworks; some were detained.

Bass and other local and state leaders have urged protesters to remain peaceful, saying there is no place for violence or attacks on police as people exercise their First Amendment rights.

Barragán said her constituents are upset: "People are angry. ... They're concerned. There's a lot of anxiety about immigration enforcement."

The effect " is terrorizing the community, and now you send the National Guard, you know, against their own people, and that is of course going to escalate the situation, and we're trying to deescalate. And I think this administration knows what they're doing. They're trying to have a distraction."

What led up to Trump's action

The conflict in Paramount, a city of about 56,000 residents south of downtown L.A., attracted national attention after protests near a Home Depot extended into Saturday. Those protests appear to have begun when ICE agents were spotted in the area.

As the situation there was still developing, L.A. County Sheriff's Department officials said in a statement that "as the situation escalated, the crowd of protesters became increasingly agitated, throwing objects and exhibiting violent behavior toward federal agents and deputy sheriffs."

An anti-ICE protester challenges deputies in Paramount on Saturday.

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Carlin Stiehl

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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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At that point, the department said it requested additional resources "countywide." The statement did not reference the National Guard.

"We will protect your right to peacefully protest," Sheriff Robert Luna said in an interview included in the statement, "but we will not tolerate violence or destruction of property."

The Sheriff's Department also clarified that they were not participating in any immigration enforcement actions, saying: "When federal authorities come under attack and request assistance, we will support them and provide aid. However, this does not mean that we are assisting with their immigration actions or operations; rather, our objective is to protect them from any violent attacks. Any assault on federal or local law enforcement is unacceptable."

In Los Angeles by contrast, LAPD officials released a statement at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday calling the day's protests in the city "peaceful" and commending "all those who exercised their First Amendment rights responsibly," adding that the department "appreciates the cooperation of organizers, participants and community partners who helped ensure public safety throughout the day."

Later in the evening, LAPD officers ordered protesters in downtown L.A. to disperse and closed Alameda between Los Angeles Street and 2nd Street to both pedestrians and vehicles.

The scene late Saturday in downtown Los Angeles near the central jail.

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Jordan Rynning

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 LAist

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What we know about the ICE raids

Initially, ICE officials said 44 people were arrested in the raids, although some news reports placed the number at more than 120 by late Saturday.

"ICE officers and agents, alongside partner law enforcement agencies, executed four federal search warrants at three locations in central Los Angeles," ICE spokesperson Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe said in a statement.

Confrontations between what appeared to be ICE officers and people in the streets of downtown L.A. could be seen in a video aired on local television and shared on social media.

At times, uniformed agents or officers could be seen physically moving people who appeared to be blocking the officers and their vehicles.

Reports shared via the social media platform X said ICE was seen in the Garment District area of L.A. Another video showed federal agents in the parking lot of a Home Depot in Westlake, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, known as CHIRLA, said her organization estimated there were at least 45 detentions.

Among them was Service Employees International Union California President David Huerta. They said Huerta had been injured and was receiving medical attention while in custody.

“What happened to me is not about me; this is about something much bigger," Huerta said in a statement released by the union. "This is about how we as a community stand together and resist the injustice that’s happening. Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals. We all collectively have to object to this madness because this is not justice. This is an injustice. And we all have to stand on the right side of justice.”

Several immigrant rights leaders and activists, along with some city elected officials, attended a large rally Friday evening to share their reactions to the federal operations and call for a stop to them. Later, more than 300 people marched a few blocks toward the federal detention center.

Protesters march after federal immigration authorities conducted an operation on Friday, June 6, 2025, in Los Angeles.

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Jae C. Hong

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AP

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Reaction from city officials

Since Friday, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has been vocal in speaking out against the ICE raids.

"As the mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Bass said in a statement Friday. "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city.

"My office is in close coordination with immigrant rights community organizations," the mayor continued. "We will not stand for this."

All 15 members of the City Council released a joint statement that echoed some of the same points the Bass made.

"We condemn this in no uncertain terms: Los Angeles was built by immigrants and it thrives because of immigrants," the statement read. "We will not abide by fear tactics to support extreme political agendas that aim to stoke fear and spread discord in our city.

"To every immigrant living in our city: We see you, we stand with you, and we will fight for you," the statement continued. "Los Angeles will continue to be a place that values and dignifies every human being, no matter who they are or where they come from.”

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said his department was not involved in the ICE operations.

“While the LAPD will continue to have a visible presence in all our communities to ensure public safety, we will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations, nor will the LAPD try to determine an individual’s immigration status,” he said.

After the sweeps, photographers captured several protesters being detained by officers. Addressing a crowd at a rally, L.A. Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez pushed back against previous statements by the Trump administration that ICE would focus their efforts on dangerous criminals.

"It's never, ever, ever been the case," Hernandez said. "Because when they come for one of us, they come for all of us. And we have to remember that."

Dozens of immigration activists gathered in downtown Los Angeles to protest a series of federal immigration operations Friday, June 6, that resulted in several detentions.

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Frank Stoltze

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 LAist

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Councilmember Ysabel Jurado noted the timing of the ICE operations, stressing that they happened at a time when families and students are celebrating graduations and the LGBTQ+ community is celebrating Pride Month.

"What kind of government plans this during our most sacred moments of joy?" Jurado asked. "The footage speaks for itself. This is cruelty disguised as policy."

Mass deportations

Since Trump was elected, immigrant rights groups in Southern California have been on edge. Trump has promised “mass deportations” of unauthorized immigrants. There have been protests that have shut down freeways and high school walkouts by students protesting the administration.

“Los Angeles immigrant communities and allies have been preparing,” Andres Kwon of the American Civil Liberties Union told LAist in February.

The ACLU is part of the L.A. Rapid Response Network, a group of immigrant rights, legal, and faith-based groups that has a hotline for people to report ICE activity and to seek help after a raid.

CHIRLA and other groups have hosted workshops that teach undocumented immigrants how to assert their constitutional rights, as well as how to prepare for worst-case scenarios. They’ve been telling people they don’t have to allow a federal agent into their home without a warrant and don’t have to reveal their immigration status.

The Los Angeles Unified School District began distributing “red cards,” also known as “Know Your Rights” cards, to help people assert their rights and defend themselves if they encounter federal immigration agents.

The effort came as the Trump administration announced it would allow ICE to conduct arrests in sensitive areas such as schools and churches, dismantling policies dating back to 2011.

Before L.A., ICE conducted high-profile enforcement actions in Chicago and Boston. Last week, an ICE raid on a restaurant in San Diego’s South Park neighborhood resulted in multiple arrests. While the raid was taking place, crowds gathered outside the restaurant where many people protested the action, filming the officers on their cellphones and surrounding their vehicles.

Detentions under Biden

Removals of immigrants by ICE and Customs and Border Patrol in the L.A. area were on the rise before Trump came into office. But the Washington Post reported earlier this year that ICE had struggled to boost arrest numbers despite an infusion of resources.

ICE/CBP removals in the L.A. Area of Operations, which includes much of Southern California, increased by more than 180% between the 2022 and 2024 fiscal years, according to ICE data. More than 3,551 people were removed in fiscal 2024, which ended Sept. 30.

Detentions also rose, according to the data.

While national detentions remained fairly constant over the past four years, L.A.-area detentions increased by 155% from 2022 to 2024, when 3,857 people were detained.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Chris Newman, legal director and general counsel for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said earlier this year.

While in office, former President Joe Biden was under increasing political pressure to address illegal immigration.

“The Biden administration was focused on recent arrivals and people with criminal histories,” Newman said.

From 2023 to 2024, the L.A. area had significant increases in detentions (432% increase from 217 to 1,154) and removals (547% increase from 223 to 1,443) of people who had not been convicted of crimes.

Several thousand people took to the streets of New York City on Tuesday (Jun 10) to protest the immigration policies of United States President Donald Trump, after a series of raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sparked protests across the country.

"No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here," chanted protesters who initially gathered at Foley Square, a plaza in front of a courthouse where several migrants were detained by law enforcement on Friday.

Protesters marched into lower Manhattan, many carrying signs reading "ICE, out of New York" about the federal immigration police, whose raids to arrest undocumented immigrants have ramped up in recent weeks.

"I'm here to stand up for those who don't have a voice to be here at the moment, especially for my mom," one woman at the protest told AFP.

She requested anonymity, given her Mexican mother's undocumented immigration status.

"Honestly, this country wouldn't be what it is without the immigrants. So I'm here for them," she added.

Another protester named Jacqueline, a 23-year-old American woman with Mexican heritage, told AFP: "I'm here to defend my family ... I fear for them now, and I don't want to live in a society where I'm in fear for my family's health".

The march in New York was more peaceful than its counterpart in Los Angeles, where ongoing demonstrations between protesters and police have spurred Trump to deploy thousands of National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines.

Protests like those in Los Angeles are "unacceptable and will not be tolerated if attempted in our city," said New York mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday, who added that the New York Police Department was prepared "to handle any issues that may arise, especially when we are faced with deep division in our society".

Adams did not implement a Tuesday night curfew in New York, unlike his counterpart in Los Angeles.