Tensions escalated between Los Angeles city councilmembers and Police Chief Jim McDonnell regarding the LAPD's management of protests against President Trump's immigration policies. The chief reported arrests during escalating protests, further complicated by federal military deployments. Mayor Karen Bass criticized these actions and mentioned a potential curfew amid ongoing unrest. The chief faced scrutiny over communication protocols with federal agencies, emphasizing the legal limitations on notifying city officials about impending immigration raids. This back-and-forth highlights the challenges local law enforcement faces amidst federal immigration policy enforcement and public dissent.
In the testiest exchange of the afternoon, Councilmember Imelda Padilla asked the chief if the LAPD would consider warning city officials if it hears from federal law enforcement that immigration raids are coming. "You're asking me to warn you about an enforcement action being taken by another agency before it happens? We can't do that," McDonnell responded, noting that such a warning would amount to obstruction of justice.
McDonnell told the City Council that his officers arrested 114 people at protests Monday night - 53 for failure to disperse and 15 for looting. One person was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon on an officer and another was arrested for attempted murder.
Mayor Karen Bass and other local officials have decried both the federal immigration raids that prompted the protests and the vandalism and violence that have broken out at some protests.
She said Tuesday that she is considering a curfew for downtown L.A., as the protests showed no sign of abating and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the military deployments would last at least 60 days.
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