Immigration protests: LA appears relatively calm after police moved in before curfew
Protesters in Los Angeles are demanding an end to Trump’s immigration crackdown, despite curfew and police response. (AP video: Mark Vancleave)
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Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids and President Donald Trump’s move to mobilize the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles are spreading nationwide. They are expected to continue overnight and into the weekend.
While many demonstrations against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency have been peaceful, with marchers chanting slogans and carrying signs, others have led to clashes with police, hundreds of arrests and the use of chemical irritants to disperse crowds.
What to know:
- LA curfew: Mayor Karen Bass has implemented a curfew for downtown neighborhoods from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. PDT. She said officials would consider lifting the curfew if there are fewer arrests Wednesday night.
- ICE raids: Dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together Wednesday to demand that the Trump administration stop the stepped-up immigration raids that have sparked these protests and spread fear across their cities.
- National Guard: About 500 of the National Guard troops deployed to the Los Angeles protests have been trained to accompany agents on immigration raids, the commander in charge said Wednesday. And while some troops have already gone on such missions, he said it’s too early to say if that will continue even after the protests die down.
Mexican president to discuss Kristi Noem’s comments accusing her of inciting violence
Claudia Sheinbaum said she would discuss the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary’s accusation with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Wednesday as he visits Mexico.
She rejected Noem’s comments as “completely false” the day before, publishing a video of her in her morning press briefing calling for Mexicans to act in peace in the Los Angeles protests.
Sheinbaum added more details Wednesday — claiming her opponents had “completely taken out of context” her previous comments suggesting that Mexicans could protest a tax on remittances proposed by Trump.
“We have never called for a violent demonstration,” she said. “We are against all violent acts. We’ve always supported peaceful protests.”
San Antonio Mayor says city officials did not ask for the Texas National Guard to be deployed
Mayor Ron Nirenberg said city officials did not ask for the Texas National Guard to be deployed to the city ahead of planned protests Wednesday night and Saturday.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said Tuesday night that National Guard troops were “on standby” in areas where demonstrations are planned. That came came after police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators Monday near the state Capitol.
Wednesday night’s protest in San Antonio are scheduled to be near the Alamo, in the heart of the city’s downtown.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said he has not been told by either the governor’s office or the guard how many troops would be in the city, where they would be positioned or what they will be doing. The governor’s office has not publicly released those details.
McManus said the city police are ready to handle any security issues with the demonstration.
“We are prepared for a peaceful demonstration, but we are also prepared if something goes south and it turns violent,” McManus said.
Immigrant communities are rattled
Protesters gather to denounce ICE, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, operations Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo Damian Dovarganes)
Protesters gather to denounce ICE, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, operations Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo Damian Dovarganes)
Immigration raids across Southern California are rattling the area’s immigrant communities, even among those in the country legally. More than 100 people have been detained since Friday.
In Orange County, a day laborer said he started carrying his green card everywhere. And during a news conference Monday, the family members of detained workers in Los Angeles urged officials to uphold the city and the state of California as places of sanctuary for immigrants.
▶Read more about how it’s affecting immigrant families
Protests over immigration raids pop up across the US with more planned
Protests that started in Los Angeles 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.
New York City police detained more than 80 people during protests around lower Manhattan’s Foley Square against federal immigration enforcement actions Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning.
▶ Read more about some of the other protests across the country
Trump signaled he’s open to using Insurrection Act
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. It’s one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president.
“If there’s an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We’ll see,” he said from the Oval Office.
LA police swiftly enforce downtown curfew as protests against Trump’s immigration crackdown continue
Los Angeles police swiftly enforced a downtown curfew, making arrests moments after it took effect, while deploying officers on horseback and using crowd control projectiles to break up a group of hundreds of demonstrators.
Members of the National Guard stood watch behind plastic shields, but did not appear to participate in the arrests Tuesday night.
Hours later, many of the protesters had dispersed, although sporadic confrontations continued that were much smaller than in previous nights.
The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown and the curfew covers a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section that includes an area where protests have occurred since Friday in the sprawling city of 4 million.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, with some guardsmen now standing in protection around agents as they carried out arrests. He said it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest. The judge set a hearing for Thursday, giving the administration several days to continue those activities.
▶ Read more about Tuesday night’s protests