Mayor Karen Bass Lifts Curfew in Downtown L.A.

Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles on Tuesday lifted a nighttime curfew she had imposed last week in the downtown district of the nation’s second-largest city to quell protests over federal immigration raids.

The lifting of the curfew was the latest sign that clashes between protesters and officers that had filled parts of downtown Los Angeles at times with tear gas and burning cars appeared to have reached an end and that tensions had eased.

The early confrontations saw federal agents shooting into crowds of protesters with crowd-control munitions and protesters hurling rocks and bottles at officers and police vehicles. In recent days, the mood downtown shifted. A military presence remains around federal buildings, but intense battles between police and protesters have been rare.

In a statement, Ms. Bass said the seven-day curfew had been a success, and had helped protect stores, restaurants and residents from “bad actors who do not care about the immigrant community.”

The mayor said she was prepared to reissue a curfew if she felt one was needed. “My priority will continue to be ensuring safety, stability and support in the downtown neighborhoods,” she said.

Los Angeles has reeled since June 6, when a series of militarized raids by federal immigration authorities prompted scattered protests that led the Trump administration to deploy 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines to the region.

Neither state nor local authorities had requested the federal aid. On June 10, after days of disruptions largely within a few blocks of the city’s downtown area, Ms. Bass initiated the nighttime curfew. Lasting from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., the curfew covered a small but active patch of the 503-square-mile city that included a number of government buildings and was bounded by three freeways.

The Los Angeles police chief, Jim McDonnell, said in a statement on Tuesday that the curfew had been “an effective tool” in helping to maintain order, and warned that police would continue to “maintain a strong presence” downtown. Over the past 10 days, Los Angeles police have arrested 575 people in connection with the protests, but the pace has slowed in recent days, according to department statistics.

On Saturday, despite planned marches that drew an estimated 30,000 demonstrators downtown, Los Angeles police arrested only 38 people, 35 of them for violating the curfew. On Sunday, there were no arrests, the department said.

Cassy Horton, a co-founder and board member of the Downtown Los Angeles Residents Association, an advocacy group of neighbors, applauded Ms. Bass for lifting the curfew.

“It became very apparent, very quickly, that not only was there massive damage for our small businesses downtown, but that residents were really feeling the impact of this, too,” Ms. Horton said.

Over the past week, some residents have been nervous about whether they would be mistaken for a protester and stopped by the police. Others were uncertain if they needed to carry proof of downtown residency.