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() Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday said her city has “reached a tipping point” amid continued protests, police clashes and looting.
The city’s police chief confirmed nearly 200 were arrested on Tuesday, with thousands of National Guard troops standing by at the behest of President Donald Trump. U.S. Marines are expected to be deployed in LA’s streets on Wednesday.
The protests which began Friday after federal immigration raids in LA have caused chaos in the nation’s second-largest city, inspired similar rallies across the country and reignited tensions between Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Demonstrations are expected to continue throughout the week, with “No Kings” events planned across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trump’s military parade through Washington.
Mayor Karen Bass sets curfew amid LA protests
Bass declared a local emergency and implemented a curfew for the city: 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time. Officials said the restriction aims to deter vandalism and looting.
Police made arrests as soon as the curfew took effect, while members of the National Guard stood watch behind plastic shields. The curfew is expected to last several days, Bass said.
The curfew doesn’t apply to residents who live in the designated area, people who are homeless, credentialed media or public safety and emergency officials, according to LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
Immigration protests erupt across US
Protests erupted in Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Denver, Portland, New York and more on Tuesday, echoing the demonstrations in LA.
In Chicago, the city’s transit authority temporarily suspended bus services to the Loop, its downtown neighborhood, as protests and marches spread.
affiliate WGN reported a car appeared to drive through a crowd of marching protestors, narrowly missing them. It is unclear if the person in the vehicle has been apprehended by law enforcement.
In El Paso, Texas, activists gathered in the city’s downtown San Jacinto Plaza in solidarity with California’s communities, affiliate KTSM reported.
“What we’re seeing in Los Angeles is not new. It’s the amplification of a strategy we’ve endured at the border for years,” said Fernando Garcia, executive director for Border Network for Human Rights, in a news release.
Trump, Newsom clash over LA protests
The war of words between Trump and Newsom has escalated alongside the protests.
In sending troops to LA, Trump cited Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which allows the president to “call into federal service members and units of the National Guard of any State in such numbers as he considers necessary” when there is a rebellion, an invasion or the danger of either happening.
Newsom called the deployment a threat to democracy and sued the administration. Though a judge did not grant an injunction on Tuesday, a hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta told on Wednesday that Trump has overstepped.
“There’s existing law that governs what the president can do and can’t do. The president has invoked a specific statute to call in the National Guard that he believes authorizes him … and that law requires that there be a rebellion there,” Bonta said Tuesday on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.”
“There’s no rebellion. It requires that there be an invasion. There’s no invasion,” he said.
The president has not ruled out invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow him to use the military to conduct civilian law enforcement activities.
The last time the Insurrection Act was invoked was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
On Monday, Trump floated the idea of border czar Tom Homan arresting Newsom, telling reporters, “I would do it if I were Tom.”
‘s Anna Kutz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.