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, local news outlet the Austin-American Statesman reported.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Greg Abbott orders National Guard to Texas immigration protests
