The Los Angeles Police Department has declared all of downtown as an unlawful assembly, telling all demonstrators to leave the area immediately. "Downtown Los Angeles has been declared as an UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY. You are to leave the Downtown Area immediately," police said on X.

Given the sharp divides in public opinion over the protests, and the deportations that sparked them, Big Tech is steering clear of a combustible situation. “Anything that increases the tension around immigration will just make it harder for tech,” said Nu Wexler, a consultant who formerly worked in policy communications for Facebook and Google.

LAist reporters witnessed LAPD officers firing less-lethal munitions into crowds and taunting protestors from a helicopter. State law and a federal court order restrict the use of crowd dispersal weapons unless specific criteria are met.

Scenes of unrest in Southern California, stoked by President Trump as he tries to deport more immigrants, have left Democratic leaders worried the confrontation elevates a losing issue for the party.

The protest comes before leaders vote on whether or not to pass a budget that is expected to lock new undocumented immigrants out of Medi-Cal.

Gavin Newsom says the federal military intervention in Los Angeles marks the onset of a much broader effort by President Donald Trump to overturn political and cultural norms.

Since the start of the protests, the Los Angeles Police Department has arrested 385 people, USA Today reported on Wednesday.

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, a non-profit working to advance human and civil rights of immigrants, is facing federal investigation and criticism from state lawmakers over its possible involvement in immigration protests. The group has denied accusations of wrongdoing.