Los Angeles mayor lifts curfew imposed in downtown area after immigration raids, protest | World News
The Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday announced to lift a curfew that was imposed in the downtown area of the city in order to curb crime and loot of businesses in the wake of immigration raids being conducted US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials against undocumented migrants that prompted nationwide protests and demonstrations.
The curfew with restrictions on people’s movement was announced Mayor Bass last Tuesday, affecting about one square mile of the city’s downtown between 8pm (local time) and 6am (next morning).
On Monday, Bass said that the curfew would be imposed at a later time interval and it started from 10pm onwards, since the acts of violence, vandalism and looting had remarkably declined. On Tuesday, the curfew ended.
Effective today, I am lifting the curfew in Downtown Los Angeles.
As we continue to adapt quickly to the chaos coming out of Washington, I’m prepared to reinstate it if necessary.
The safety and stability of LA remains my top priority.
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) June 17, 2025
Democratic Mayor Bass blamed the White House for the chaotic scenes in downtown Los Angeles as the protests and demonstrations culminated into violence and vandalism, and reserved the right to reintroduce curfew in the city if needed, she said in her Tuesday announcement.
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Law enforcement on horseback disperse demonstrators during a protest, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo)
In a statement, Mayor Karen Bass said “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,” Reuters reported.
The heightened immigration raids and enforcement of immigration laws in the city triggered the strongest backlash against President Donld Trump since he returned to the White House for his second tenure in January. The Republican leader, who vowed to fulfil his campaign pledge to deport immigrants, has pitted him against Democratic leaders in California who have opposed the tactics, especially Governor Gavin Newsom.
According to California lawmakers, who visited a facility where people detained in workplace immigration raids from Los Angeles are being held, said the condition is deteriorating and lacks access to clean clothes and towels.
