Texas Gov. Greg Abbott orders National Guard to immigration protests
Texas is following President Donald Trump's lead, and will deploy the National Guard in preparation for planned protests in the state as demonstrations against immigration raids spread throughout the country in solidarity with Los Angeles.
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican and ally of Trump, said the evening of June 10 he would send the Guard members to locations across the state to "ensure peace & order."
"Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest," he said in a post to X. "@TexasGuard will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order."
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is carrying out a directive from Trump to find immigrants living in the United States without legal status. Protests have sprung up against the sweeps the agency is carrying out in various neighborhoods. In Los Angeles, where protests continued for the last five days, Trump sent National Guard members and U.S. Marines despite the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom, sparking a showdown between the federal government and state authorities.
Abbott's decision comes after protesters in Austin clashed with police on June 9. Police fired less-lethal munitions and detained several people accused of throwing rocks at officers and graffitiing a federal building, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at a news conference.
One person was arrested in Dallas after police declared a demonstration unlawful and a firework exploded near police, according to CBS News Texas. Demonstrators in Austin earlier this week began marching peacefully, but police intervened and made eight arrests after some of the protesters graffitied state and federal buildings and others threw "very large rocks" at officers, Davis said. Officers used pepper balls – projectiles that contain a chemical akin to pepper spray – and tear gas to quell the crowd, she said.
Two of the people arrested face criminal mischief charges for spray painting the buildings, she said. Other charges include harassment of a public servant and failure to obey a lawful order to disperse. Those arrested ranged in age from 21 to 37.
"Don't mess with Texas law enforcement," Abbott said on social media in response to the arrests.
Davis said four officers were injured in the scuffle and were treated and released from hospitals. Three were injured by rocks thrown by protesters and one sustained a shoulder injury during an arrest, during which a protester also spit in his eye, Davis said.
"These were very large rocks, these were no small pebbles," she said.
Davis said officers are preparing for additional demonstrations in Austin, including on June 14.
Demonstrations against ICE raids and in solidarity with Los Angeles protesters have sprung up in major cities all around the United States in recent days. Local news outlets and police have reported protests in San Francisco, New York, Washington, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta and more.
The protests have remained largely peaceful but in some cases turned into clashes with police and led to arrests.
In New York City, 86 people were taken into custody on June 10 as hundreds rallied near the city's main immigration court, the New York Police Department said. The day before, more than 30 were arrested ABC 7 reported. Among those were about two dozen arrested from the lobby of Trump Tower, the outlet reported.
Some of the nationwide protests were launched by union members in response to the arrest of David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union California (SEIU), in Los Angeles on June 6. More than 200 union members and supporters in Boston gathered outside City Hall on June 9, NPR affiliate WBUR reported. In Washington, D.C., hundreds gathered outside the Department of Justice and FBI buildings and marched through the city protesting both ICE raids and Huerta's arrest, according to WUSA9.
While the anti-ICE protests continue, "No Kings Day" protests are planned nationwide on June 14, the day Trump will hold a military parade in Washington, D.C., and also celebrate his 79th birthday.
Contributing: Christopher Cann, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Greg Abbott orders National Guard to Texas immigration protests
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