Texas Governor Greg Abbott Deploys National Guard Throughout State Amid Ongoing Protests
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday the deployment of the National Guard to various locations in the state to maintain peace and order in anticipation of a protest scheduled in San Antonio. He emphasized that while peaceful protests are lawful, any harm to individuals or property would be met with arrest. The National Guard will employ various strategies to assist law enforcement in managing the situation. The announcement comes in the wake of unrest in Los Angeles, where a curfew was imposed after several days of protests related to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids.
Similar demonstrations have been occurring across the country, including in Texas. Reports from local news indicate that a peaceful protest took place in downtown San Antonio on Sunday, following ICE arrests of immigrants appearing in court. Local officials are preparing for more protests in the coming days. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and local police plan to hold a news conference to outline their strategy for handling these gatherings.
A significant event titled “No Kings Day,” protesting the Trump administration’s policies, is set for Saturday, coinciding with the former president’s birthday. This event is being organized by various local groups, and similar protests are being arranged in other cities nationwide. In Austin, around 500 protesters gathered at the state Capitol on Monday evening in solidarity with demonstrators in Los Angeles. Tensions escalated, leading local and state authorities to use pepper spray and flash-bang grenades to disperse the crowds, resulting in several arrests.
In response to the federal mobilization of the National Guard, California’s Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming the deployment exceeds federal authority. In the Oval Office, Trump remarked that the protests should be met with force, declaring that the government’s response “stopped a disaster” while characterizing protesters as “very dangerous.”