US federal agents fire flash-bang smoke grenades at protestors near a Home Depot after a raid was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in the city of Paramount in Los Angeles County, California, on June 7, 2025. Photo: IC

Following days of chaos, downtown Los Angeles was placed under curfew after Mayor Karen Bass announced the nighttime restrictions, which, according to a Chinese expert, is aimed at isolating protesters from law enforcement to prevent clashes from escalating. 

A curfew issued in a part of downtown LA will be in effect from 8 pm Tuesday to 6 am on Wednesday, Mayor Karen Bass announced during a news conference, according to CNN.

It only covers an area of about one square mile, and will impact fewer than 100,000 of LA's four million residents, according to authorities, per CNN.

The curfew does not apply to residents who live in the designated area, people who are homeless, credentialed media or public safety and emergency officials, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell, the Associated Press reported. 

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said that "mass arrests" were underway as people gathered on downtown streets after the curfew went into effect. "Multiple groups continue to congregate on 1st St between Spring and Alameda. Those groups are being addressed and mass arrests are being initiated," the LAPD said in a post on X. "Curfew is in effect," it said. 

At least 378 people have been arrested over the past four days, the LAPD said on Tuesday, CNN reported.

A local resident who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Wednesday that the curfew has little impact on the lives of residents in other areas, including him, because LA has many decentralized centers and the curfew zone is mainly downtown and in Chinatown.  

"I believe that implementing a curfew is beneficial for quelling the chaos. The LA government hopes to isolate protesters from law enforcement through the curfew to prevent clashes from escalating, such as into large-scale riots or looting incidents," Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Several stores in the downtown LA area were hit by looters, including the Shoe Palace on Main Street, as well as an Adidas store, an Apple Store, two dispensaries, a pharmacy and a jewelry store on Broadway, ABC News reported. 

Tuesday also saw a "war of words" between US President Donald Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom. 

In a speech at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, one of the US' biggest army bases, Trump claimed LA was being invaded by a "foreign enemy" and vowed to "liberate" the city. He described protesters as "animals" and got troops to boo the names of Newsom and ex-president Joe Biden, AFP reported.

"This anarchy will not stand. We will not allow federal agents to be attacked, and we will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy," Trump told troops, per AFP.

Newsom warned in an address to Californians that Trump was pushing indiscriminate mass deportations, risking public safety by deploying the National Guard, and warning that democracy was under attack, CNN reported. 

Newsom said Trump's immigration crackdown has gone well beyond arresting criminals and that "dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers and seamstresses" are among those being detained. "California may be first - but it clearly won't end here," Newsom said.

According to the AP, Trump has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines over the objections of city and state leaders.

Lü said the war of words may exacerbate tensions as it reflects the struggle between the two parties. "By portraying the Democrat-dominated California as a lawless place, the Republican Party hopes to strengthen its support in red states and swing states with an eye on next year's midterm elections," Lü said.

Lü said that the Republican Party's advantage in the House of Representatives is slim. Utilizing the chaos in California could benefit some Republicans with extreme anti-immigration stances in the next House of Representatives election. 

According to the Washington Post, the number of major cities where protesters are staging demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is growing. By Tuesday evening, they included New York, San Francisco, Austin, Dallas, Atlanta, Seattle, Chicago and Portland, Oregon.