A citywide curfew and the display of military force restored a nervous but uneasy calm in downtown Los Angeles after several days of combustible protests against aggressive federal immigration raids. So here is the situation in a breakdown.
/*Federal Raids Spark Unrest*/
Beginning on June 6, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiated a sequence of high profile raids in the Los Angeles County, searching workplaces, parking areas, and industrial facilities. Early operations resulted in the arrest of at least 44 people and an instant outcry in immigrant circles. Within minutes, peaceful protests were formed at the locations, where the raids took place; SEIU and immigrant-rights groups were among those leading the protests. These acquired intensity during consecutive days, as protestors blocked freeways and tagged federal buildings and sometimes broke into property damage and clashes with police.
/*Curfews, Troops, and Mass Arrests*/
On June 9, following growing unrest, Mayor Karen Bass issued an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew on a one-square-mile area of downtown. President Trump responded by ordering 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines, under federal authority in the Insurrection Act. There were more than 200 arrests on the initial night of enforcement, most commonly on a charge of refusing to disperse, and hundreds more throughout the week, with one estimate putting the total number of those detained at 400 . Federal prosecutions ran the gamut of violent crimes to minor offenses of protest .
/*State Pushback and Legal Clash*/
California leaders, headed by Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, have strongly protested against the intervention by the federal government. They have gone to court, in an emergency suit, to prevent the use of military forces because it is, they say, a denial of state sovereignty and of civil rights. Newsom described the move as a power grab and an authoritarian and bold abuse of power, Trump meanwhile accused state leaders of letting Chaos reign and even labeled certain protestors as animals over social media. A federal court has fixed hearings on a motion by California seeking a restraining order.
/*Public Reaction & Ripple Effects*/
By Wednesday morning, most of the streets in the affected area had subsided, but cleanup crew was still out clearing the debris and graffiti-marks evidence of the night unrest. Most of the protesters were peaceful, but there were cases of rubber bullets and flash-bang devices that urged the press representation and safety of the bystanders. Affected by the same national apprehensions about immigration enforcement, similar rallies have also resulted in the U.S. in such places as San Francisco, Chicago and Austin.
/*What Comes Next*/
The city is under curfew and federal forces are still present as tensions still remain high. California leaders promise to continue the legal fight. In the meantime, Mass protests are likely to go on over the weekend and bigger demonstrations are scheduled on June 14. The developing confrontation between the federal power and the state rights is the crucial point in the further discussion of the immigration and civil liberties in America.