Los Angeles immigration protests: Police make arrests during curfew

Downtown Los Angeles was largely calm overnight into Wednesday, with police arresting at least 25 people for violating a curfew after a fifth day of protests against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

Heavily armed security officers, including several riding horses, patrolled near government buildings, while men boarded up storefronts after dark on Tuesday to protect against vandalism.

Looting and vandalism in the second-biggest US city have marred the largely peaceful protests over ramped-up arrests by immigration authorities. The demonstrations, which began Friday, and isolated acts of violence prompted Trump to take the extraordinary step of sending in troops, over the objection of the state governor.


One protester said that the arrest of migrants in a city with large immigrant and Latino populations was the root of the unrest. "I don't think that part of the problem is the peaceful protests. It's whatever else is happening on the other side that is inciting violence," she said Tuesday.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the curfew-meant to stop vandalism and looting-was in effect within one square mile of the city's more-than-500 square mile area (from 03:00 to 13: 00 GMT). That zone was off-limits for everyone apart from residents, journalists and emergency services, she added.