Texas governor orders national guard to deploy for protests in San Antonio
The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has ordered the state's national guard to deploy to the city of San Antonio ahead of immigration-related protests planned for this week, saying the soldiers are 'on standby'.
Abbott posted on social media early on Wednesday that the 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.'
The Texas national guard, he added, 'will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order'.
Abbott's move to mobilize troops follows Donald Trump's decision on Saturday to send the California national guard into Los Angeles after some limited and mostly peaceful protests against immigration raids. California leaders described the sending of the troops, and then 700 US marines, as a deliberate provocation.
Widespread demonstrations against the Trump administration's deportation raids are expected on Wednesday, according to local media reports, and on Saturday nationwide protests are planned as part of a 'No Kings' event, according to organizers. Trump has planned a military parade in Washington for the same day and has threatened to treat any protesters harshly, despite the right to protest being enshrined in the US constitution.
Unlike in California, where neither the state governor not local civic leaders asked for military help – and where the state has sued to have them removed – in Texas the guard was reportedly sent after San Antonio law enforcement requested their assistance. According to the San Antonio Express News, the city police chief, William McManus, contacted state officials on Monday night seeking to confirm the presence of guardsmen in the city.
Abbott's press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, later said that national guard soldiers 'are on standby in areas where mass demonstrations are planned in case they are needed'.
'Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles,' Mahaleris said in a statement on Tuesday night. 'Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be swiftly held accountable to the full extent of the law.'
A press conference is planned for Wednesday to discuss preparations for the protests in the city. On Sunday about 300 protesters had gathered in downtown San Antonio, some carrying flags and signs reading: 'Abolish ICE,' 'Power to the People,' and 'Mexicans Ain't Going Anywhere.'
On Monday six demonstrators in Austin were arrested by officers with the Texas department of public safety after what the department called a 'planned and well-publicized protest' near the state capitol. They have been charged with felony criminal mischief, resisting arrest and other offenses.
'Texas is a law-and-order state, and the department has zero tolerance for individuals disrupting public order or endangering law enforcement officers,' DPS said in a news release.
The 'No Kings' protest planned for San Antonio on Saturday is being organized by the 50501 Movement, in coordination with the Bexar County Democratic Party, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Indivisible and Women's March.
The protest, the organization said, will 'culminate in an act of peaceful resistance'. The 50501 organization said on its website that it 'stands in opposition to billionaire influence in government and advocates for the rights and empowerment of the working class'.
The Texas national guard is the largest of its kind in the US, with 22,000 soldiers and airmen. The governor serves as its commander, except when the president has mobilized the troops for federal duty.
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