After days of violent clashes between protesters and the National Guard, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a local emergency and imposed a partial curfew in downtown LA.
Bass stated that the decision came after 23 businesses were looted and vandalised, suggesting that civilian security remains of paramount concern.
Officials in the LA area suggest that the curfew was a necessary step to prevent further vandalism and looting.
LA has been rattled with violence since President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to quell protests against raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
Trump said that the protests were “an assault on peace and public order.”
An estimated 4,000 National Guard troops were initially deployed by President Trump, allegedly without the consent of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Los Angeles police were seen making a series of arrests moments after the curfew announcement, sending officers on horseback to control the raging crowds. According to CNN, the arrest count rose to 200 on Tuesday.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom accused Trump of drawing a “military dragnet” across the city with the intensifying use and deployment of the National Guard.
Further, Newsom has requested an emergency court order to halt all military aid provided to federal immigration agents. He claims that the surging tensions only aggravate civil unrest and panic.
A federal judge reportedly denied the request for a restraining order against the President, as a result of which fears of the Trump administration continuing the military action are rampant.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott also announced the deployment of the Texas National Guard across various locations, saying they “will use every tool and strategy to help law enforcement maintain order.”
