In response to a wave of anti-deportation protests and riots across the state, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced the deployment of the Texas National Guard in cities statewide, declaring that the state will take decisive action to maintain “peace and order.”
The announcement came late Tuesday after multiple demonstrations erupted in Texas’ major metropolitan areas, including Austin, Dallas, and Houston. Many of the protests, initially peaceful, escalated into confrontations with law enforcement. Over a dozen protesters were arrested in Austin alone on Tuesday night, according to local police reports.
“Peaceful protest is legal,” Governor Abbott posted on social media. “But Texas is a law and order state, and we will use every tool that we can to ensure order across our state.”
Abbott said National Guard units will support state and local law enforcement in “strategic locations” to ensure public safety and deter further unrest. He referenced the recent riots in Los Angeles as a situation Texas must avoid.
“We want to make sure that what has happened in California does not happen in Texas,” Abbott said during a press briefing Wednesday morning. “That includes the deployment of Texas public safety officers as well as the Texas National Guard.”
The governor emphasized that legal demonstrations would be respected, but warned there would be zero tolerance for violence or destruction. In a stark message posted online, Abbott concluded with the phrase “FAFO”—an acronym for “f— around and find out.”
Pressed to explain the controversial remark, Abbott said: “You break the law, you cross the line, you will be arrested. There is freedom of speech, however, if in your protest you damage somebody's property or harm another person, that’s violating the law.”
The protests have been largely fueled by an aggressive uptick in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids following renewed enforcement orders from President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump, who returned to office in January, has repeatedly vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, calling the surge in removals a “top priority” for national security and economic reform.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said last month on Fox News that ICE’s daily arrest targets are being expanded.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are looking to set a goal of a minimum of 3,000 arrests for ICE every day,” Miller said. “We’re going to get all of the Biden illegals that were flooded into our country out of our country.”
The stepped-up enforcement has drawn backlash across the country, particularly in cities with large immigrant populations. In Texas, some demonstrations have included activists, students, and clergy calling for ICE to halt operations and for state officials to reject what they view as a federal overreach.
State Representative Jessica Gonzalez (D-Dallas), a frequent critic of Abbott, accused the governor of using the National Guard to intimidate dissenters.
“This is nothing more than an attempt to silence peace-loving people who are fed up with Texas Republican tyranny,” Gonzalez wrote on social media. “Abbott and Trump are bullies, both cut from the same cloth. But they win when protests become dangerous. We can’t let them win.”
Despite calls for calm, tensions remain high as both protesters and law enforcement brace for further demonstrations in the coming days. Organizers in Austin and Dallas have planned additional rallies for this weekend, and civil rights groups are urging protesters to remain peaceful.
The ACLU of Texas issued a statement Wednesday afternoon reminding demonstrators of their rights and warning law enforcement to avoid the use of excessive force.
“We must protect the right to protest without allowing fear or state intimidation to deter civic engagement,” the statement read. “We urge Governor Abbott to de-escalate—not escalate—this tense moment in our state.”
