Police make 'mass arrests' in LA during nighttime curfew
Looting and vandalism in the second-biggest US city have marred the largely peaceful protests over ramped-up arrests by immigration authorities.
The demonstrations, which began Friday, and isolated acts of violence prompted Trump to take the extraordinary step of sending in troops, over the objection of the state governor.
The protests again turned ugly after dark Tuesday, but an hour into the overnight curfew only a handful of protesters were left downtown, with police making several arrests as they warned stragglers to leave.
"Multiple groups continue to congregate on 1st St between Spring and Alameda" within the designated downtown curfew area, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) wrote on X late Tuesday.
"Those groups are being addressed and mass arrests are being initiated."
Police arrested 25 people on suspicion of violating the curfew as of Tuesday evening, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing an LAPD spokesperson.
The number of arrests was likely to rise as law enforcement worked to remove the remaining protesters from the area, the newspaper said.
Earlier, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she had issued the curfew "to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting."
One square mile (2.5 square kilometers) of the city's more-than-500 square mile area will be off-limits from 8:00 pm and 6:00 am (0300 to 1300 GMT) for everyone apart from residents, journalists and emergency services, she added.
One protester told AFP the arrest of migrants in a city with large immigrant and Latino populations was the root of the unrest.
"I think that obviously they're doing it for safety," she said of the curfew.
"But I don't think that part of the problem is the peaceful protests. It's whatever else is happening on the other side that is inciting violence."
At their largest, the protests have included a few thousand people taking to the streets, but smaller mobs have used the cover of darkness to set fires, daub graffiti and smash windows.
Overnight, Monday 23 businesses were looted, police said, adding that more than 500 people had been arrested over recent days.
Protests against immigration arrests by federal law enforcement have also sprung up in cities around the country, including New York, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco and Austin.
'Provide protection'
Trump has ordered 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, along with 700 active-duty Marines, in what he has claimed is a necessary escalation to take back control -- despite the insistence of local law enforcement that they could handle matters.
A military spokeswoman said the Marines were expected to be on the streets by Wednesday.
Their mission will be to guard federal facilities and to accompany "federal officers in immigration enforcement operations in order to provide protection."
Demonstrators told AFP the soldiers "should be respected" because they had not chosen to be in Los Angeles, but Lisa Orman blasted it as "ridiculous."
"I was here for the Dodger parade," she said, referring to the LA team's World Series victory.
"It was 100 times bigger," she said, branding the idea that Marines were necessary as "a big show" that Trump wanted.
The Pentagon said the deployment would cost US taxpayers $134 million.
Photographs issued by the Marine Corps showed men in combat fatigues using riot shields to practice crowd control techniques at the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach.
Late Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said his state would deploy its National Guard "to locations across the state to ensure peace & order" after solidarity protests.
"Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest," Abbott wrote on X.
The Texas National Guard "will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order."
Behaving like 'a tyrant'
In sprawling Los Angeles on Tuesday, it was largely a typical day: tourists thronged Hollywood Boulevard, celebrities attended red carpet premieres, tens of thousands of children went to school and commuter traffic choked the streets.
But at a military base in North Carolina, Trump was painting a much darker picture.
"What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and national sovereignty," the Republican told troops at Fort Bragg.
"This anarchy will not stand. We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy."
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who has clashed with the president before, said Trump's shock militarization of the city was the behavior of "a tyrant, not a president."
In a filing to the US District Court in Northern California, Newsom asked for an injunction preventing the use of troops for policing.
US law largely prevents the use of the military as a policing force -- absent the declaration of an insurrection, which Trump has mused.
The president "is trying to use emergency declarations to justify bringing in first the National Guard and then mobilizing Marines," said law professor Frank Bowman.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Ukraine's Zelensky hopes to push Trump on US Russia sanctions at G7
In two rounds of negotiations in Istanbul, Moscow and Kyiv have so far only agreed large-scale prisoner exchanges, with Russia rejecting calls to halt its three-year invasion. Trump has urged both sides to strike a peace deal and shown increasing frustration with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin for not having found a way to end the war. He has at times threatened new sanctions on Russia, which has ramped up its aerial attacks during the talks, but has so far failed to follow through. "I count on having a conversation" with Trump at the G7, Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv. "This sanctions package is very important... the final decision is still in the White House, it depends on the President of the United States," he added. US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, is pushing what he calls a bipartisan "bone-breaking" bill to introduce a 500-percent tariff on countries buying Russian oil and gas, mostly targeting China and India. 'Appeasement' Tens of thousands have been killed since Russia invaded in February 2022, with millions forced to flee their homes as towns and cities across eastern Ukraine have been flattened by heavy bombardments. Trump's return to the White House has upended the West's vital aid for Kyiv. Europe has been left scrambling to see how it could fill any gap if he decides to pull US military, financial and intelligence support. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius appeared to deliver a blow to those plans during a visit to Kyiv on Thursday. Speaking alongside Zelensky, he said Berlin was not planning to deliver Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine. "Asked whether we are considering this, my answer is no," he told a reporter of the possibility of sending the missiles, which could allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory. Instead, Pistorius announced 1.9 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in additional military aid. The setback came just after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga told a security conference in Rome that the "diplomacy of appeasement does not work with Russia" -- a veiled reference to Trump's soft approach towards Putin. "We want to end this war this year," he said. Russia has been advancing on the battlefield for months and launched record drone strikes at Ukraine in recent days. Two civilians were killed in the frontline Donetsk region in a drone strike on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said. Kyiv has responded to Russian bombardments with its own wave of drone strikes. In Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, a two-year-old child was killed following one such attack, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. POW swap The warring sides completed the latest stage of a prisoner swap on Thursday, freeing wounded soldiers in line with a deal struck at talks in Istanbul. "Today, warriors of our Armed Forces, National Guard, and Border Guard Service are back home," Zelensky said on social media. The two sides agreed to each free more than 1,000 prisoners of war -- all wounded or under the age of 25 -- and return the bodies of killed soldiers. Zelensky published pictures of the Ukrainian servicemen, all with freshly shaved heads, draped in national flags and smiling as they made phone calls and hugged people welcoming them at the border. "They all require medical treatment," as they were "severely wounded and seriously ill", Zelensky added. At the exchange, AFP reporters saw dozens of people -- mostly women -- waiting with pictures of their captured or missing relatives, hoping the freed soldiers could offer news about them. Russian state media showed Moscow's returned troops in uniforms chanting "Russia, Russia" with national flags around their shoulders. Russia later accused Ukraine of not being "ready to conduct exchanges" on a daily basis, as it said the two sides had agreed at the Istanbul talks.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Protests over police killing in Kenya as govt presents budget
The government carefully prepared its new finance bill with the aim of avoiding the massive protests over tax hikes that engulfed Kenya a year ago. But the killing of 31-year-old teacher Albert Ojwang while in police custody last weekend, after he was arrested for criticising a senior officer online, has reawakened anger over police brutality in the east African country. "You can't kill one of us in prison and then expect us to just lie down," said Tiffany, 22, a protester in Nairobi's business district who gave only her first name. Hundreds of protesters were spread in small groups across Nairobi's business district, with some throwing rocks at police who fired back with tear gas, while at least two cars were set alight. AFP reporters saw at least three people wounded by rubber bullets, with one taken to hospital. The unrest was limited compared to the protests last year that peaked when thousands stormed parliament on June 25, forcing President William Ruto to cancel a finance bill that would have raised taxes on many everyday items. At least 60 people were killed in the weeks of youth-led protests in June and July 2024, and rights groups say dozens more were illegally detained by security forces in the aftermath. The east African nation is a regional economic powerhouse but tensions have simmered over a rising cost of living, a stagnant job market and rights abuses. This year, the government played it safe with its finance bill, focusing tax hikes on businesses rather than consumers. Finance Minister John Mbadi acknowledged last year's protests had highlighted "the importance of values and principles of governance" and called for a minute of silence in parliament for protesters who lost their lives. "To win public trust, we have strengthened public participation in all policy formulation, including the budget-making process," he said, referring to a new online portal in which citizens could give their views. But there was anger last month when a software designer was arrested for creating her own website that criticised the budget and allowed people to email the government with complaints. 'Avoid controversy' Kenya faces a daunting task in boosting social services and investment at a time when its heavy debts mean interest payments outweigh its spending on health and education. Analysts say the new budget is unlikely to provoke the public anger of last year. It seeks to boost revenues by cutting government spending and closing tax loopholes, though critics say it still includes backdoor price increases and will hurt small businesses. "This year's finance bill is, in comparison to last year's, very much seeking to avoid controversy," said Patricia Rodrigues, of global consultancy Control Risks. But businesses will be impacted by increases in income taxes and social contributions, she said. In a difficult global environment, the World Bank has reduced its growth projections for Kenya from 5.0 to 4.5 percent in 2025. And rights abuses have become a volatile issue. "What we are demanding is for the deputy inspector general to resign, and then he should be arrested," said protester Anami Daudi Toure, 27, on Thursday. © 2025 AFP
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
'We show up': Pacific leaders apply pressure at oceans summit
The islands are besieged by rising seas and worsening storms, their coastlines choked in plastic, fishing waters plundered and coral reefs bleached and barren. But they refuse to be victims, pouring whatever resources they can into protecting the seas that sustain their people -- and calling out those not doing their share. This week, Pacific leaders have made some of the boldest commitments at the UN Ocean Conference, challenging wealthier nations to up their game. French Polynesia set the bar high at the outset of the five-day summit in Nice, France, announcing it would create the world's largest marine protected area in the far South Pacific. Within this enormous expanse of five million square kilometres (1.93 million square miles) will be a fully-protected sanctuary, double the size of Sweden, that totally forbids any human activity. Samoa announced nine new marine areas protecting 30 percent of its waters, while Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands unveiled plans for a mammoth joint marine park linking neighbouring Pacific nations. Once completed, they said, this ocean reserve would span six million square kilometres -- an area as vast as the Amazon rainforest. The Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands joined a global call for a pause on deep-sea mining, while four Pacific nations came forward to ratify a treaty to protect the high seas. "We show up by doing -- by taking action -- and not just through talkfests," said Sivendra Michael, permanent secretary at Fiji's environment ministry. 'Time to act' Almost as many Pacific heads of state and government turned up in Nice as European ones, making an impression in colourful traditional dress and through the force of their message. The elephant in the room is money, said Coral Pasisi, climate director at the Pacific Community, the region's principal scientific and technical development organisation. Pacific nations receive less than half of one percent of global climate finance, she said, and it can take years for sinking island nations to raise the capital to build a single seawall. Rich nations pledged last year to commit $300 billion a year to developing countries for climate action by 2035. But small island nations are wary, after similar promises have gone unmet. "Sometimes we feel alone in the world," Taivini Teai, environment minister of French Polynesia, told AFP. "But we must pull together and make industrialised countries understand that it is time to act." On stage and in private meetings in Nice, including with French President Emmanuel Macron, Pacific leaders demanded again and again that rich nations help them with actions, not words. "We need to adapt to shield our oceans from further harm. And that means -- plain and simple -- money. And money that we can use," said Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "The gap between what we need and what is available is growing dangerously wide. And this is a security issue for the Pacific." Listen to us The oceans summit did not address a lack of progress on phasing out fossil fuels -- deeply frustrating Pacific countries that have rallied to get the contentious issue back on the global agenda. "For the smallest of the countries and the most vulnerable, we have been the boldest and the loudest" on fossil fuels, said Michael of Fiji. Vanuatu's environment minister Ralph Regenvanu said it was "unfortunate" that fossil fuels weren't given sufficient prominence in Nice. "It's the single greatest cause of the damage to the oceans we're seeing now, and we're not talking about it enough," he said. Fed up with climate summits and pleading for action, Vanuatu and its Pacific neighbours are testing if international law can compel countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. For low-lying Tuvalu -- which is already making arrangements to shift its citizens permanently elsewhere -- the sense of urgency could not be greater as the tide laps higher. "I hope they listened to us," said Tuvalu President Feleti Teo, of his appeal in Nice for wealthier governments to come to their aid.
