Texas Governor to Deploy National Guard as Anti-ICE Protests Spread

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he would deploy the National Guard across parts of the state as anti-ICE protests that have gripped Los Angeles since Friday—and resulted in hundreds of arrests—spread across the country.

“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 wrote in a post on X.

The move came ahead of a planned protest in San Antonio expected Wednesday, two days after protesters in Austin were met with tear gas and pepper spray projectiles near the state capitol. On Monday night, protesters in Austin waved Mexican flags and yelled obscenities at police in military vehicles and riot gear as they moved around downtown, briefly blocking streets in popular nightclub districts south of the Capitol.