San Antonio officials confirmed on Wednesday that the Texas National Guard has been activated in San Antonio in preparation for protests related to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, amid widespread demonstrations following recent enforcement actions taken by ICE–which were met by widespread national unrest and troop deployment–spreading across major U.S. cities.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered Texas National Guard units to assemble in San Antonio as a preventive measure, according to a San Antonio Police Department spokesperson. An approximate 150 guardsmen have checked in at downtown hotels but exact troop numbers and roles remain unannounced.
This deployment of law enforcement personnel is to assist law enforcement during scheduled protests on Wednesday and Saturday that are being organized by groups like the 50501 Movement, Bexar County Democratic Party, Indivisible, Women’s March and Indivisible ksat.com +2 and mysanantonio.com (+2).
Governor Abbott highlighted Texas’ desire to allow peaceful demonstrations while simultaneously preventing any escalation into vandalism or violence, citing recent unrest in Los Angeles as justification, saying “Peaceful protests are part of our national fabric but Texas won’t tolerate what happened in Los Angeles”. Houstonchronicle.com +4 ExpressNews +4
Ksat +4.
Local officials are also taking an aggressive stance. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Police Chief William McManus and City Manager Erik Walsh have scheduled a press conference at 9 am on Wednesday to outline their coordinated strategy and safeguard public safety while protecting First Amendment rights (foxsanantonio.com/ksat.com/expressnews com etc).
San Antonio Police Department Assistant Chief Jesse Salame confirmed coordination with the Guard. While detailed deployment plans are currently pending, Guard soldiers are standing by in areas where mass demonstrations are planned (kens5.com/press, expressnews/press and ksat/press all provide updates).
This precautionary deployment comes following the rising protests in Los Angeles following Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and arrest of immigrant families during court proceedings. The Trump administration responded with over 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines being deployed from LA – prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to file legal challenges against this move as it represents an overreach of federal authority (HoustonChronicle.com, AAP News and The Times Of London for example all have reported this overreach of federal authority). For more details and analysis see: HoustonChronicle.com +6 whilst The Times.co.uk +6
Demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement have become widespread across multiple cities since January. Austin saw crowds throwing rocks and bottles at law enforcement. autoritati Austin authorities used pepper spray and tear gas to disperse crowds while others threw rocks and bottles at authorities (Houston Chronicle +2 = CBSNews +2, The Times (UK) +2)
Dallas police declared an “unlawful assembly” after demonstrators on an overpass refused to disperse, according to multiple news accounts: AP News +4
CBS News +4 Mysanantonio.com +4.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued warnings against protestors who cross the line during demonstrations: he warned them they will be arrested – further underscoring his state’s hardline approach towards maintaining public order (mysanantonio.com).
Protesters and their organisers assert that these demonstrations reflect broader deep-seated concerns. Participants believe federal authority has overstepped and violated immigrant communities; one activist described San Antonio rally as a day of peaceful resistance intended to coincide with Trump’s military parade planned in Washington.
Governor Abbott’s use of the National Guard beyond San Antonio – especially Operation Lone Star at the border – has already caused much discussion nationally. With more troops available for domestic deployment, tension is mounting regarding whether state forces are being utilized more for public safety or political messaging purposes.
As this week progresses, events across Texas–from San Antonio, Austin and Dallas–will serve as a litmus test of whether protest-related deployments can uphold both security and civil liberties. City officials remain committed to preventing violence while protecting peaceful expression; yet in an increasingly polarized national mood, deployment of uniformed troops onto Texas streets sends out an important signal: that state military involvement is becoming standard practice during protests.