Mayor Karen Bass said she hopes the first night of the downtown Los Angeles curfew can serve as an example, as tensions simmered Tuesday night while immigration enforcement officers and a military presence remain in place following a weekend of intense protests.

"There was no looting, there was no violence, there was no vandalism," Bass told CBS News Los Angeles during an interview Wednesday morning. "So what I am hoping, after [Tuesday night], is that people understand that we are very serious about the curfew."

The  was instated on Tuesday after days of protests against a string of immigration enforcement operations throughout Southern California. Bass said the curfew will be enacted daily until it's no longer deemed necessary.

Between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. each day, access is restricted downtown from the 5 Freeway to the 110 Freeway and from the 10 Freeway to where the 110 Freeway and 5 Freeway merge. The restricted area covers about one of the 502 square miles in the city of L.A.

Again on Wednesday, a group of demonstrators who had gathered outside of the federal buildings marched out of the curfew zone just after it went into effect. A smaller crowd of people on First Street and Hill Street were seen as they were taken into custody about 20 minutes after curfew with the CBS News Los Angeles helicopter overhead.

In Bass's view, the curfew is more of a deterrent to those looking to commit violence or vandalism than the deployment of the National Guard.

In recent days, Mr. Trump deployed 2,000 troops with the National Guard and 700 U.S. Marines to L.A. after testy protests over the weekend in downtown L.A. and the cities of Paramount and Compton. During those events, clashes between the L.A. Police Department and civilians were prominent, with officers oftentimes using non-lethal uses of force like tear gas and rubber bullets.

Similar events continued downtown on Sunday, which Bass believes was brought on by Trump's decision.

"I'm just perplexed to know what he is going to do with troops here that are not needed and the Marines," Bass said. "As far as I'm concerned, it is a provocative measure. I think it will contribute to disorder."

Bass then reiterated that "disorder" in the city has been mostly limited to about five streets in downtown L.A. While speaking to CBS News Los Angeles, she implied that she believes there may be an ulterior motive to the deployment, other than safety measures.

"I feel like we're a laboratory for an experiment that they're testing out in our city," Bass said.

A power struggle ensues

Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke to Californians on Tuesday night in a statewide address, where he challenged Mr. Trump's authority to deploy military forces to the streets of L.A. 

"Trump, without consulting California leaders, commandeered 2,000 of our state's National Guard members to deploy on our streets illegally and for no reason," Newsom said. "This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president enflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers and even our National Guard at risk."

Newsom filed a lawsuit against Mr. Trump on Monday, asking a judge to "prevent the use of federalized National Guard and active duty Marines for law enforcement purposes on the streets of a civilian city." On Tuesday, a judge denied a request for a temporary restraining order and instead scheduled a court hearing for Thursday, giving Mr. Trump's legal team time to respond.

Mr. Trump has defended the decision to send military forces to L.A. by citing "incompetence" in local and state leaders, namely Bass and Newsom.

In a on Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump said, "The INCOMPETENT Governor of California was unable to provide protection in a timely manner when our ICE Officers, GREAT Patriots they are, were attacked by an out of control mob of agitators, troublemakers, and/or insurrectionists. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"  

In on Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump claimed that L.A. would be "burning to the ground right now, just like so much of their housing," referencing devastating wildfires that burned thousands of structures in Los Angeles and Altadena earlier this year.

Newsom, in his address Tuesday, claimed that the "downward spiral" began after Mr. Trump sent in the National Guard, refuting the president's opinion that the military presence has prevented violence. 

The governor endorsed the prosecution of individuals who become violent during demonstrations. On Wednesday, federal prosecutors brought charges against two L.A. County men who allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at law enforcement during protests on Saturday and Sunday.

ICE operations continue

During the on Wednesday morning, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that 330 undocumented immigrants have been arrested in the Los Angeles area since June 6. 113 of those have prior criminal convictions, she claims.

CBS News Los Angeles reached out to ICE on Wednesday to verify those claims. ICE redirected CBS News Los Angeles to the White House for verification. 

During her appearance on KCAL News Mornings on Wednesday, Bass said she believes that the overwhelming majority of those detained and arrested do not have a criminal record.

She said ICE operations have continued throughout the week. On Saturday, Democratic U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragán, who represents parts of L.A.'s South Bay, told CBS News that ICE enforcement and removal operations are expected daily for the next 30 days in L.A. County.

More demonstrations across LA County

Tuesday's demonstrations appeared to be much smaller than those on previous days. Protesters briefly entered the southbound lanes of the 101 Freeway near downtown, but officers with the California Highway Patrol were quick to form skirmish lines.

In a , the LAPD said hundreds were arrested on Tuesday night for various reasons. They said that 203 people were arrested on suspicion of failure to disperse, police said, while 17 were arrested for curfew violations. There were three additional arrests for possession of a firearm, one for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and one for discharging a laser at an LAPD airship.

On Wednesday morning, more small gatherings appeared outside the Federal Building downtown, although they appeared to be peaceful. The crowd continued to grow throughout the day, with a gathering in Pershing Square before they started marching through the downtown streets.

A small crowd also walked through the streets of Paramount on Wednesday, holding signs denouncing the ICE operations. In nearby Inglewood, another group of people converged at an intersection outside of The Forum.