'Peace & order': Greg Abbott deploys National Guard to Texas cities for anti-ICE protests
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has confirmed he is deploying the National Guard to cities throughout the state in anticipation of protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson told the American-Statesman on Wednesday that the city has been notified the Texas National Guard "will be prepared to assist the Texas Department of Public Safety if deemed necessary" for planned protests this weekend.
The San Antonio Police Department confirmed to local news outlet KTSA that guard members had arrived in San Antonio Tuesday night, ahead of planned protests in the downtown area on Wednesday and in Travis Park on Saturday.
Several Texas cities are expected to hold rallies for "No Kings Day of Mobilizations" on Saturday, June 14. The protests are organized by "50501," a grassroots movement enabling independent organization across the country, My San Antonio reports. "No Kings Day" has been intentionally planned for the same day as the Trump administration's military parade in D.C., which also coincides with Trump's birthday.
Abbott gave the following statement to KTSA:
The State of Texas stands ready to deploy all necessary personnel and resources to uphold law and order across our state. Texas 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. Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be swiftly held accountable to the full extent of the law.
Abbott provided further clarification in a social media post on Tuesday.
"Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace & order," Abbott wrote. "Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest. @TexasGuard will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order."
Abbott had not disclosed further details as of Wednesday morning, including which other cities the National Guard may be deployed to.
News of the National Guard's deployment comes after hundreds of protesters assembled at the Texas Capitol in Austin Monday to show support for those protesting ICE actions in Los Angeles. Similar demonstrations were held in downtown Dallas that same evening, and protests also occurred in San Antonio and Houston over the weekend.
See videos, images of protesters holding anti-ICE rallies across Texas.
Tensions in Los Angeles escalated after an ICE raid on June 6 led to the arrest of several individuals. The operation sparked protests that escalated over the weekend, prompting President Donald Trump to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to the city.
On June 9, California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the deployment of the National Guard without prior consultation with Governor Gavin Newsom. The governor criticized the decision in a social media post, calling it "illegal and immoral." In another post that morning, Newsom accused Trump of "illegally" federalizing the Guard and declared, "We're suing him."
— KTSA contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas anti-ICE protests: Gov. Greg Abbott deploys National Guard
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
10 minutes ago
- New York Post
Amid storm of protests, slim majority favors Trump's approach to immigration: poll
Despite weekend protests that swept the country and recent rioting that dogged Los Angeles, a slim majority of voters still favor President Trump's handling of immigration, a new poll found. Although nearly tied, Trump notched a 51% approval to 49% disapproval rating for his performance on border security and immigration issues, an NBC News Decision Desk survey found. Earlier this month, riots broke out in Los Angeles after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted operations in the country's second-largest city. That prompted Trump to federalize and deploy California's National Guard. Advertisement Then, this weekend, progressive groups orchestrated national protests, fueled by the Army's 250th anniversary parade, though immigration dominated many of those demonstrations. Last week, Trump teased plans to recalibrate his immigration approach and concentrate on deporting criminals rather than service workers who are residing in the country illegally. 4 Immigration has long been one of President Trump's strongest issues. REUTERS Advertisement 4 White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller has widely been seen as a driving force for the administration's tough on immigration policies. Getty Images Immigration remains Trump's strongest issue, according to the poll. His overall approval rating clocked in at 45% approve to 55% disapprove, which mirrors the outlet's findings in April. The poll also pegged internal Republican divisions over the precise goal of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, mirroring some of the internal friction within the congressional GOP. In a near tie, 40% of respondents wanted the emphasis to be on 'ensuring that the national debt is reduced,' while 39% wanted to focus on tax reduction and 21% prioritized maintaining current spending levels on Medicaid, the poll found. Advertisement A majority of both Independents (53%) and Democrats (79%) wanted the emphasis to be on maintaining Medicaid levels. Overall, the House-passed version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would raise the national deficit by $3 trillion over the next decade, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate. The measure slashes spending, primarily on Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), by a net $1.25 trillion as an offset to the tax cuts. 4 Many protests over the weekend railed against ICE specifically. Zuma / Advertisement Several fiscal hawks in the Senate, such as Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) have pushed for more cuts. Concern about the legislative bundle's impact on the deficit led to a scorched-earth tirade from tech mogul Elon Musk against President Trump earlier this month. The House-passed version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act slaps work requirements onto Medicaid, which provides health insurance to over 70 million low-income Americans. Coupled with other modifications to Medicaid, Republicans are eyeing around $700 billion in savings from the program over a 10-year period. Upwards of 7.8 million Americans could lose their health insurance due to the reforms, the Congressional Budget Office has projected. 4 Congressional Republicans are working to get the One Big Beautiful Bill Act across the finish line. AP The Medicaid provisions have proven to be a sticking point for Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and have drawn scrutiny from Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) as the Senate GOP mulls the mammoth bill. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is intended to be Trump's signature legislative achievement. GOP leadership is hoping to get the megabill to Trump's desk by the Fourth of July, though that timeframe looks increasingly tough to achieve. Advertisement This week, key Senate committees are set to unveil revised versions of the bill. After it clears the Senate, it will need to go back through the House before it can get to Trump's desk. The NBC News Decision Desk Poll sampled 19,410 adults between May 30 and June 10 with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points.
Associated Press
17 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Photos of anti-Trump ‘No Kings' demonstrations across the US
Demonstrators gathered in parks and plazas across the U.S. to protest against President Donald Trump. The 'No Kings' rallies were organized in nearly 2,000 locations nationwide, including cities, towns, and community spaces. These protests followed recent unrest over federal immigration raids and Trump's deployment of the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, where tensions escalated with protesters blocking a freeway and setting vehicles on fire. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Fox News
25 minutes ago
- Fox News
Singer claims Dodgers didn't want her to sing Spanish rendition of US national anthem amid anti-ICE riots
Vanessa Hernández, known by her stage name Nezza, sang a Spanish rendition of the United States national anthem at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night, and she claimed the team wished she didn't. "El Pendón Estrellado," the official Spanish rendition of the national anthem commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, was sung by Nezza during Saturday's Los Angeles Dodgers game against the San Francisco Giants. Nezza, wearing a Dominican Republic shirt while performing, posted a video on TikTok of a team employee telling her, "We are going to do the song in English today." "I'm not sure if that wasn't relayed," the employee said in the video. Nezza decided to sing the Spanish version anyway, saying in a later TikTok video that it was in response to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence in Los Angeles that has led to protests and unrest in the city. "I didn't think I'd be met with any sort of no," Nezza said in her video. "Especially because we're in L.A. and with everything happening. I've sang the national anthem many times in my life, but today, out of all days, I could not. "I just felt like I needed to do it. Para mi gente (for my people)." Fox News Digital reached out to the Dodgers for comment. The team also hasn't made any public statements about the protests that have been going on the past week in Los Angeles. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about the protests, and he maintained a neutral stance. "Honestly, I don't know enough, to be quite honest with you," he said, via The Athletic. "I know that when you're having to bring people in and deport people, all the unrest, it's certainly unsettling for everyone. But I haven't dug enough and can't speak intelligently on it." Meanwhile, one of Roberts' players, veteran utility man Kiké Hernández, made a social media post on Saturday night before the game about the protests. "I may not be Born & Raised, but this city adopted me as one of their own," Hernández wrote on Instagram. "I am saddened and infuriated by what's happening in our country and our city. Los Angeles and Dodger fans have welcomed me, supported me and shown me nothing but kindness and love. This is my second home. And I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart. "ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights. #CityOfImmigrants." Other Los Angeles-based professional sports teams have taken a stance, including the NWSL's Angely City F.C., which gave fans "Immigrant City Football Club" T-shirts at their game on Saturday. Players were also seen warming up with the t-shirts on before their match to show support for those protesting. Nezza's Spanish rendition of the anthem came on the day of numerous "No Kings" protests, which were against the military parade in Washington, D.C., that coincided with President Donald Trump's birthday, across the country. Trump's birthday was also the 250th birthday celebration of the United States Army. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
