Governor Greg Abbott of Texas said on Thursday that more than 5,000 Texas National Guard troops and 2,000 state troopers would be deployed across the state in anticipation of widespread protests against federal immigration raids, intensifying a week of mounting political tensions over immigration enforcement and civil unrest.
The announcement follows demonstrations that erupted last week in Los Angeles and have since spread nationwide. In Texas, protests have already led to clashes with law enforcement. On Monday, a march through downtown Austin resulted in the arrest of thirteen people after police deployed tear gas to disperse a portion of the crowd that refused to leave. In San Antonio, where National Guard troops were already present on Wednesday, protests remained peaceful and ended without incident, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
“Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest,” Governor Abbott wrote in a social media post earlier in the week, underscoring the state’s zero-tolerance approach to any form of violence or property destruction. While Abbott did not specify which cities would receive troop deployments, his office said Guard members are “on standby in areas where mass demonstrations are planned.”
Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for the governor, framed the move as a preemptive measure to prevent the sort of unrest seen in California. “Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles,” he said.
More than two dozen “No Kings” protests are scheduled across Texas this weekend in cities including Houston, Austin, Lubbock, and Longview. Organized by progressive coalitions such as 50501 and Indivisible, the events are designed to protest what participants describe as President Trump’s increasingly authoritarian approach to immigration enforcement.
Additional demonstrations are also expected. Women’s March has called for a Saturday event titled “Kick Out the Clowns,” and FIEL, or Immigrant Families and Students in the Fight, is organizing a “Chant Down the Walls” protest in Houston on Friday.
Law enforcement agencies across Texas are preparing for the wave of activism. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said it is working closely with local safety partners to ensure the demonstrations do not threaten public safety.
“Harris County has a long history of people exercising their right to protest peacefully while respecting opposing viewpoints, and I fully expect Saturday’s demonstrations to continue that legacy,” Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, a Democrat, offered a note of support for peaceful protest but warned against destruction. “Much of what we see out of Washington is to create fear and chaos — we should not play into these politics of fear,” he said. “Adding to the chaos — through destruction of property, hurting other people, including police officers, or otherwise — adds to the problems for those people being targeted while empowering those in Washington who want more pain and chaos.”
The deployment of state troops in Texas follows a contentious decision by President Trump over the weekend to send 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles without the consent of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who denounced the move as “theatrics over public safety.” California’s state government has since filed suit against the administration, calling the action an “unprecedented usurpation of state authority and resources.”
As Texas braces for the weekend, officials remain wary of potential unrest — and protest organizers are urging calm, even as they prepare to challenge what they see as increasingly aggressive government tactics.
“There are no kings in a democracy,” said a spokesperson for one of the protest coalitions. “This is about holding power accountable — not provoking violence, but standing firm.”
