Thousands in NY City Protest Immigration Policies of U.S. President

The number of arrests was likely to rise as law enforcement worked to remove the remaining protesters from that area

- Agence France-Presse

LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles police began arresting people in the city's downtown late on Tuesday, as groups gathered in violation of an overnight curfew after a fifth day of protests against Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

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 on Friday, and isolated acts of violence prompted Trump to take the extraordinary step of sending in troops, over the objection of the state governor. The protests again turned ugly after dark on Tuesday, but an hour into the overnight curfew only a handful of protesters were left downtown, with police making several arrests as they warned stragglers to leave.

"Multiple groups continue to congregate on 1st St between Spring and Alameda" within the designated downtown curfew area, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) wrote on X late Tuesday.

"Those groups are being addressed and mass arrests are being initiated." Police arrested 25 people on suspicion of violating the curfew as of Tuesday evening, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing an LAPD spokesperson.

The number of arrests was likely to rise as law enforcement worked to remove the remaining protesters from the area, the newspaper said. Earlier, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she had issued the curfew "to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting."

One square mile of the city's more-than-500 square mile area will be off-limits from 8 pm and 6 am (0300 to 1300 GMT) for everyone apart from residents, journalists and emergency services, she added.

One protester told AFP the arrest of migrants in a city with large immigrant and Latino populations was the root of the unrest.