Hours later, many of the protesters had dispersed, although sporadic confrontations continued that were much smaller than in previous nights.

Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators looking to cause trouble.

The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown and the curfew covers a 2.5-square-kilometre section that includes an area where protests have occurred since Friday in the sprawling city of 4 million.

The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 1295 square kilometres.

He also deployed Marines, though none were seen on the streets Tuesday.

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.

The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as Trump has promised as part of his administration’s immigration crackdown.

The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement.

Trump has activated more than 4000 National Guard members and 700 Marines over the objections of city and state leaders. They were originally deployed to protect federal buildings.

Demonstrations have spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin, Texas, Chicago and New York, where thousands rallied and multiple arrests were made.

New York City police said they took 86 people into custody during protests around lower Manhattan’s Foley Square against federal immigration enforcement actions on Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful.

In Texas, where police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said Texas National Guard troops were “on standby” in areas where demonstrations are planned, Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris said on Tuesday evening.

Guard members were deployed to San Antonio, according to assistant police chief Jesse Salame. He said he did not know how many were sent or details on the deployment.