Los Angeles imposes curfew in downtown area to stem chaotic protests

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a downtown curfew Tuesday in response to looting and vandalism during protests against U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

The curfew extends from local time 20:00 to 06:00 and may continue for several days, Bass said. The move comes after Trump's mobilization of troops escalated tensions across the second-largest city in the U.S.

She said that the local authorities imposed the limited curfew in response to looting and vandalism that occurred downtown Monday night, following largely peaceful daytime protests.

The curfew exempts residents of the designated area, homeless individuals, credentialed media and public safety or emergency officials, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Bass announced the curfew as protests against raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stretched into the fifth day, with local media reporting demonstrators surged onto the 101 Freeway, blocking traffic in both directions, shortly before the order was issued.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an emergency motion with a court to prevent Trump's deployment of National Guard members and Marines to Los Angeles to quell protests against immigration raids there.

According to Newsom, "the federal government is now turning the military against American citizens. Sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented." He asked the court to immediately block the actions, which he called unlawful.

Bonta argued the Trump administration's use of troops poses imminent harm to state sovereignty, deprives the state of vital resources, escalates tensions and promotes rather than quells civil unrest.

A U.S. federal judge denied the emergency request and granted the Trump administration additional time to respond. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

Agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal law enforcement agencies raided multiple locations in Los Angeles and arrested illegal immigrants on Friday and Saturday, which resulted in clashes and sparked mass protests.

Trump took extraordinary action on Saturday by calling up 2,000 National Guard troops to quell immigration protests in the Los Angeles region, making rare use of federal powers and bypassing the authority of California Governor Newsom.

Los Angeles imposes curfew in downtown area to stem chaotic protests

Los Angeles imposes curfew in downtown area to stem chaotic protests

Los Angeles imposes curfew in downtown area to stem chaotic protests

Los Angeles imposes curfew in downtown area to stem chaotic protests

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that the situation in Iran is "under total control" following violence linked to protests that spiked over the weekend.

Addressing foreign diplomats in Tehran, the foreign minister noted that armed terrorist groups had infiltrated the protests, attempting to divert them from their legitimate course. He claimed that evidence has been gathered showing Iranian security forces being shot at, with the aim of causing further casualties. He accused the United States and Israel of exploiting the unrest to interfere in Iran's internal affairs.

Araghchi further stated that the government is closely monitoring developments on the streets, emphasizing that "the situation has come under control." He also affirmed that internet services, curtailed during the unrest, would be restored after coordination with security agencies.

The government has engaged in dialogue with merchants and protest representatives and initiated reforms to address grievances related to price hikes and currency depreciation. Iran has taken a series of actions and measures to respond to the demands of peaceful demonstrators, the foreign minister said.

Earlier on Sunday, Araghchi said that clear evidence links recent riots and vandalism of public facilities in Iran to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. This came after former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned Mossad agents operating on Iran's streets in a social media post. The Iranian foreign minister asserted that police are being attacked by "terrorists" acting under the direction of Israeli operatives, whom Pompeo publicly acknowledged.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and U.S. sanctions.

Iranian foreign minister says situation "fully under control," accuses Israeli intelligence of stoking unrest