Los Angeles Begins Mass Arrests as Curfew Takes Effect

Downtown Curfew and Arrests in LA

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has imposed an 8 p.m.–6 a.m. Pacific Time curfew in a one‑square‑mile district of downtown LA where protests have escalated. This affects fewer than 100,000 of the city’s 4 million residents. After 8 p.m. Tuesday, LAPD officers began “mass arrests,” detaining dozens for failing to disperse from an area declared an unlawful assembly. Over the past four days, the LAPD has made at least 378 arrests.
Learn more about the city’s emergency ordinance here.

Texas Deploys National Guard as Protests Spread

Inspired by events in LA, Texas Governor Greg Abbott activated the National Guard to support local law enforcement ahead of planned anti-ICE and immigration protests, including a “No Kings” demonstration in San Antonio this Saturday. Governor Abbott emphasized that peaceful protest remains legal, but violence or property damage will lead to arrest.

Clashes Across Texas Cities

• Austin: Protests turned chaotic outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building and near the State Capitol, with police deploying tear gas and pepper rounds. Authorities arrested 13 individuals after declaring an unlawful assembly.

• Dallas: Protesters wearing masks clashed with riot-equipped police. Eyewitnesses say police used mace during arrests.

• San Antonio: Hundreds peacefully rallied outside City Hall. Mayor Ron Nirenberg urged calm as the National Guard deployed to support protesters and law enforcement.

Press Freedom and Incident with Journalist

Photojournalist Toby Canham was hit in the head by a rubber bullet while covering Sunday’s downtown LA protest. He described the impact: “I was just flattened… it struck me on the head and I was down.” He received medical attention but sustained no serious injuries. Canham noted that law enforcement used crowd-control tools immediately, without prior standoff.

Why the Curfews and Deployments?

These actions follow recent ICE raids across the country that targeted undocumented immigrants at work sites. Mayor Bass confirmed no new raids occurred Tuesday but said local officials remain uninformed of ICE activities, warning, “We do not know where and when the next raids will be.” President Trump and Governor Newsom have traded accusations over the immigration crackdown and national guard usage, with Trump backing aggressive enforcement and Newsom warning of threats to democracy.