Mayor Bass lifts downtown LA curfew imposed during protests against immigration raids

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday lifted the downtown Los Angeles curfew that has been in effect since last week due to protests sparked by immigration raids in the area.

Bass implemented the curfew June 10 in response to vandalism and looting that happened during protests over the Trump administration's immigration raids.

"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," Bass said in a statement.

"I am lifting the curfew effective today, and as we continue quickly adapting to chaos coming from Washington, and I will be prepared to reissue a curfew if needed. My priority will continue to be ensuring safety, stability and support in the Downtown neighborhoods," she added.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the LAPD will maintain a strong presence and continue to closely monitor conditions in the area.

This comes a day after Bass eased the hours of enforcement and pushed the start of the nightly curfew back to 10 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. It had affected a one-mile section of downtown L.A.

City leaders said the curfew was successful in preventing more damage in the area, but some businesses in the area said it was hurting their bottom line.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to approve a resolution the mayor issued, which allowed her to declare a local emergency in the downtown area.

Although the curfew is now lifted, the resolution allows the mayor to reinstate it as needed.

Protests erupted on June 6 after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents began detaining migrants in the city. While most demonstrations have remained peaceful, police and city officials said that some gatherings turned destructive after dark, with looting and vandalism blamed on so-called "bad actors."

On the fifth day of protests, Bass declared a local emergency in downtown and imposed the curfew.

"We are hoping that if the cause of the turmoil ends, which is the raids, then I can almost guarantee you that curfew will go away," Bass previously said.

Immigration enforcement operations were expected to continue this week in the Southland amid Trump administration guidance focusing on cities run by elected Democrats, while cutting back on enforcement at farms, hotels and restaurants.

City News Service contributed to this report.