Mayor Karen Bass lifted the curfew for downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday after a week of at times unruly demonstrations against continuing immigration raids throughout Southern California and nationwide.
Bass said “continuing successful crime prevention and suppression efforts” led to her decision to rescind the 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew initiated June 12 within an 8-square-mile boundary.
“The curfew, coupled with ongoing crime prevention efforts, have been largely successful in protecting stores, restaurants, businesses and residential communities from bad actors who do not care about the immigrant community,” the mayor said in a statement. “I am lifting the curfew effective today, and as we continue quickly adapting to chaos coming from Washington, and I will be prepared to reissue a curfew if needed. My priority will continue to be ensuring safety, stability and support in the Downtown neighborhoods.”
Bass reduced the curfew hours Monday in a “phased approach,” officials said.
Incidents of violence, vandalism and looting accompanied peaceful demonstrations since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations began June 8 in downtown and other locations in LA County.
“The curfew has been an effective tool in helping us maintain public safety in the Downtown Los Angeles area and deter those looking to exploit peaceful protests for criminal activity,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement. “The LAPD will maintain a strong presence in the area and continue to monitor conditions closely to protect lives, uphold the right to lawful assembly, and safeguard property.”
Last week, Bass said the city’s law enforcement and first responders were operating in a unified command structure in an attempt to strengthen coordination and promote public safety. Hundreds of officers from police and sheriffs departments throughout the region and state assisted the LAPD over the weekend.
On Saturday, more than 15 protests took place across the city, and more than 30,000 people peacefully demonstrated downtown, the mayor’s office reported. Demonstrators and local officials have called for a stop the immigration raids and condemned what they say are the administration’s anti-democratic policies.
Trump posted this on social media Sunday:
“Our Nation’s ICE Officers have shown incredible strength, determination, and courage as they facilitate a very important mission, the largest Mass Deportation Operation of Illegal Aliens in History.
“Every day, the Brave Men and Women of ICE are subjected to violence, harassment, and even threats from Radical Democrat Politicians, but nothing will stop us from executing our mission, and fulfilling our Mandate to the American People. ICE Officers are herewith ordered, by notice of this TRUTH, to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History,” Trump continued.
“In order to achieve this, we must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside. These, and other such Cities, are the core of the Democrat Power Center, where they use Illegal Aliens to expand their Voter Base, cheat in Elections, and grow the Welfare State, robbing good paying Jobs and Benefits from Hardworking American Citizens.”
Bass countered in an X post, “The Trump Administration is, once again, manufacturing a crisis. Make no mistake: this is illegal, divisive, and flies in the face of everything we stand for in Los Angeles.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom posted, “(Trump’s) plan is clear: incite violence and chaos in blue states, have an excuse to militarize our cities, demonize his opponents, keep breaking the law and consolidate power. It’s illegal and we will not stand for it.”
