Curfew under consideration amid rising tensions in Los Angeles, says Mayor Bass

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Tuesday evening that the city is likely to implement a curfew "within hours" as violent unrest and immigration protests intensify across the city.

Speaking to CNN, Bass said she was in active discussions with the LAPD regarding the scope and timing of the curfew. "Initial thinking is that it would not engulf the entirety of downtown Los Angeles," she clarified, while emphasising that the announcement would be made "before nightfall" and would "go into effect tonight."

Her remarks came as protestors brought traffic to a halt on the 101 Freeway, with protesters flooding both directions of the busy highway just before rush hour, disrupting traffic and sparking a heavy police response. LAPD officers were able to clear one direction, but the other remains blocked.

Tuesday marked the fifth consecutive day of protests in Los Angeles following controversial ICE raids, which critics say are tearing families apart and disproportionately targeting immigrant communities.

"We are trying to contain a volatile situation while respecting people’s right to protest," Bass said. "But the safety of Angelenos comes first."

Mayor Bass pinned the unrest at some of the LA protests squarely on the Trump administration, saying Tuesday that there was "nothing going on here that warranted the federal intervention."

She also said she was mystified about why the Marines were sent. "People have asked me what are the Marines going to do when they get here? That’s a good question. I have no idea," she said at a news conference.

She also called out Trump for suggesting the Guard, not local police, quell the violence that did happen, noting that Trump made the claim in a Saturday night tweet but that the first Guard troops didn't arrive until Sunday.

With inputs from agencies

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