Extensive arrests after curfew declared in Los Angeles and Texas governor will deploy the National Guard to maintain order after protests erupt in several cites

Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Tuesday night that the state would deploy its National Guard to maintain order, after protests over the detention of immigrants prompted US President Donald Trump to send military forces to Los Angeles.

Abbott wrote on X, “The Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace and order… Peaceful protest is legal… Harming persons or property is illegal and will result in arrest”.

He continued, “The Texas Guard will use all means and strategies available to assist law enforcement in maintaining order”.

In California, at the city of Los Angeles police also announced extensive arrests in the city center, where people gathered despite a nighttime curfew that went into effect after days of protests that US President Donald Trump described as an invasion by a “foreign enemy”.

The second-largest US city witnessed looting and vandalism after violence erupted overnight during what had initially been peaceful demonstrations against the detention of immigrants.

The Los Angeles Police Department wrote on X, “Several groups continue to gather on First Street between Spring and Alameda… These groups are being dealt with and extensive arrests are being made… A curfew is in place”.

This came hours after Mayor Karen Bass announced to reporters that “a local state of emergency and curfew have been imposed in downtown Los Angeles to stop vandalism and looting”.

An area of ​​2.5 square kilometers within the city of more than 1,200 square kilometers will remain closed until 6:00 a.m. (13:00 GMT) to everyone except residents, journalists, and emergency services, according to Los Angeles mayor.

Small, largely peaceful demonstrations, interspersed with significant violence, erupted in Los Angeles on Friday amid anger over increased immigration arrests.

Thousands of people took to the streets in a number of demonstrations, but smaller groups set fires overnight and smashed windows.

On Monday night, 23 shops were looted, according to police, who added that more than 500 people have been arrested in recent days.

Protests also took place in cities across the US, including New York, Atlanta, Chicago, and San Francisco.

Trump ordered the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, along with 700 Marines, in what he called a necessary escalation to control the situation in the city, despite local law enforcement insisting they were capable of controlling the situation.

An army spokeswoman said soldiers would be deployed to the streets later on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Their mission will be to protect federal facilities and accompany “federal personnel in immigration enforcement operations to provide them with protection”.

The Pentagon announced that the deployment will cost taxpayers $134 million.

Photos released by the Marines showed men in military uniform using riot shields to practice crowd control at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach.

Los Angeles went about its day as usual, with Hollywood Boulevard packed with tourists, tens of thousands of children heading to school, and traffic jams on the streets.

But at a military base in North Carolina, Trump painted a bleak picture of the situation.

“What you are witnessing in California is a comprehensive attack on peace, public security, and national sovereignty,” he told soldiers at Fort Bragg.

“This chaos won’t continue… We’ll not allow a foreign enemy to invade and occupy an American city,” he added.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who has previously clashed with Trump, responded by saying that Trump’s militarization of the city was the behavior of a “tyrant, not a president”.

He explained that “sending war-trained fighters into the streets is an unprecedented step that threatens the very essence of our democracy”.

In a live address, Newsom described Trump as “a president who doesn’t want to be constrained by any law or constitution, as he launches a unified assault on American tradition”.

“California may be the first, but it’s clear it won’t end there,” he continued.

Newsom filed a petition with the Northern District Court for California seeking an injunction prohibiting the use of military forces for police duties.

US law largely prohibits the use of the military as a police force, except in the event of a declaration of insurrection, something Trump raised on Tuesday.