The anti-immigration protests in the US are probably spreading like wildfire.

After San Francisco, the protests have gained momentum in Texas as well as Las Vegas.

In Texas, governor Greg Abbott declared that the National Guard will be deployed in the state, warning that the National Guard will use “every tool” to help maintain law and order.

"Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace & order. Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest," Governor Abbott wrote on X. "@TexasGuard will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order."

“Our law enforcement officers are on the frontlines to KEEP Texas a law and order state. To have their back, I am signing a law to ensure they can use every tool available to combat criminals without being targeted by rogue prosecutors. We support our law enforcement officers,” he further added.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, mayor Karen Bass has issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles in an attempt to curb vandalism and looting amid ongoing protests.

“I have declared a local emergency and issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting,” Karen Bass told reporters. She added that the curfew can be expected to last several days, according to Reuters.

The curfew will run from 8pm Tuesday until 6 am Wednesday. Bass also declared a local emergency following reports that 23 businesses were looted during the intense street protests. “We reached a tipping point” after 23 businesses were looted, Bass said in a news conference. The curfew will be in place in a 2.59 square kilometre section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 2,295 square kilometres.

According to the Los Angeles Police chief Jim McDonnell, the curfew exempts residents who live in the designated area, unhoused individuals, accredited media personnel and emergency responders.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said that they have made “dozens of arrests” as protest groups continue to gather in the curfew zone. “Multiple groups continue to congregate on 1st St between Spring and Alameda. Those groups are being addressed and mass arrests are being initiated. Curfew is in effect,” the LAPD wrote X.

Trump's crackdown

On Monday, President Donald Trump deployed an additional 2,000 National Guardsmen, joining the initial 2,000, alongside approximately 700 Marines, bringing the total military presence in LA to nearly 4,800, compared to 2,500 troops in Iraq and Syria.

Meanwhile, demonstrations against Trump’s immigration crackdown have spread far beyond Los Angeles, with thousands of people gathering in at least two dozen cities by Tuesday night.

Protests have taken place across New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Washington, D.C., with marchers chanting slogans, holding anti-ICE signs, and blocking traffic near federal buildings. While many protests have remained peaceful, some have turned tense, with clashes between protesters and police involving arrests and the use of chemical agents.

Protests have also been reported in New York City, San Francisco, and Santa Ana, where demonstrators confronted law enforcement after local immigration raids.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday criticised President Trump’s actions, saying he is "pulling a military dragnet" across Los Angeles during a brief public statement.

Newsom said Trump’s immigration efforts have extended far beyond targeting criminals, claiming that “dishwashers, gardeners, day labourers and seamstresses” are among those being detained, reports Reuters.

An estimated 950,000 people in Los Angeles County do not have legal immigration status, according to the Migration Policy Institute. That is about a tenth of the county's population, and they include cooks, nannies, hotel employees, street vendors, gardeners, construction workers and garment workers.

Los Angeles is one of the nation's largest garment-production hubs with more than 45,000 workers, mostly Latino and Asian immigrants, who cut, sew and finish the clothing, according to the Garment Worker Centre.

The raids are deepening fears far beyond LA and even among those who are in the country legally, immigrants said. Jot Condie, president and chief executive of the California Restaurant Association, said the fear is keeping away workers and hurting businesses. In LA County last year, food and drink services were a USD 30 billion industry.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested on Tuesday that the use of troops inside the US will continue to expand.

The Pentagon said deploying the National Guard and Marines costs USD 134 million.