Following Los Angeles, the city of Spokane, Washington, has declared a curfew after protests.

More than 1,000 people continued to protest peacefully on the streets of Los Angeles before a second night of curfew in the city center, imposed by the mayor to prevent looting and vandalism.

Since last Friday, June 7, the second-largest city in the US has been the scene of protests against mass arrests of undocumented immigrants. The protests have been mostly peaceful, but have sometimes been accompanied by stone-throwing at police, car fires, and other acts of violence.

“The curfew remains in effect tonight to stop the bad actors who are taking advantage of the president's chaotic escalation,” Democratic Mayor Karen Bass wrote on Twitter, quoted by AFP.

Donald Trump ordered the deployment of 4,000 California National Guard reservists and 700 Marines, an elite corps of the active army, to Los Angeles against the will of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.

This deployment has turned into a political battle between the Trump administration and the Democratic opposition. At the forefront is Newsom, considered a potential candidate for the White House in 2028.

Donald Trump “will never allow the law of the street to rule in America,” said White House spokeswoman Caroline Leeavit.

“Don't forget, if I wasn't there... Los Angeles would have burned,” the president said as he headed to a performance of the musical “Les Misérables” in Washington.

“Democracy is under attack before our very eyes,” Gavin Newsom said.

“California may be the first, but it's clear this won't stop here,” he added.

The governor of California accuses the federal government of exceeding its authority and has asked the court to stop the mobilization of the National Guard. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for today in federal court.

Of the 4,700 troops deployed on the ground, about 1,000 members of the National Guard are guarding buildings and supporting federal immigration police (ICE), said General Scott Sherman, who is commanding the operations.

The rest, including 700 Marines, are in the process of being deployed or are training to maintain order, he said.

Trump has threatened to call in the National Guard in other Democratic-run states, but that does not seem to have deterred protesters.

Protests against the US government's “draconian” immigration policy took place in New York, St. Louis (Missouri), Indianapolis (Indiana), Raleigh (North Carolina), and Denver (Colorado).

In Spokane, a city of about 230,000 in eastern Washington state, the mayor's office also declared a curfew from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time (7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bulgarian time).

In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott ordered the deployment of the National Guard ahead of a rally in San Antonio. However, this did not prevent hundreds of protesters from gathering near the city hall.

On June 14, Donald Trump is scheduled to attend a very unusual military parade in Washington, organized to mark the 250th anniversary of the US Army, but which also coincides with the president's 79th birthday.

On the same day, a national movement called “No Kings” called for rallies in hundreds of cities across the country to protest Trump's policies.

In Los Angeles, the arrests of migrants by masked men continued. | BGNES