Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has imposed an overnight curfew in Downtown Los Angeles starting at 8 p.m. tonight, as protests against President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration raids intensify.

The curfew, covering a one-square-mile area including City Hall and the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, will run nightly from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and is expected to remain in effect for several days.

“I issued a curfew to stop bad actors who are taking advantage of the President's chaotic escalation. 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,” Mayor Bass announced the measure in a statement on X.

The curfew follows days of escalating tensions sparked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that began Friday, targeting businesses and homes across the city. Hundreds of undocumented immigrants have been detained, prompting outrage from community leaders and advocacy groups who accuse ICE of targeting law-abiding residents.

President Trump, speaking Tuesday at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, defended the raids, calling the protests “a full-blown assault on peace, on public order, and on national sovereignty.” He accused demonstrators of being “rioters bearing foreign flags” and suggested, without evidence, that they were being paid by unnamed parties. Trump later partially retracted his remarks, saying, “I didn’t say the governor or the mayor. I said somebody’s paying them, I think.”

The situation has been further complicated by the deployment of 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, a move opposed by both Mayor Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom sought a restraining order to block what he called the “unlawful militarization” of the city, but Senior District Judge Charles Breyer denied the request, scheduling a hearing for Thursday.

Protests, driven by fears of family separations and community disruption, have drawn thousands to the streets since Friday. Advocates argue that many of those detained are long-term contributors to Los Angeles’ economy and that the raids prioritize mass arrests over comprehensive immigration reform.

As the curfew takes effect and federal forces remain in the city, Los Angeles braces for continued unrest. The coming days could shape the national debate on immigration, civil rights, and the balance of federal and local power. (ILKHA)