(WFAA) – SAN ANTONIO — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has deployed a contingent of National Guard troops to San Antonio, where the governor’s press secretary said the soldiers “are on standby in areas where mass demonstrations are planned in case they are needed.”
It’s unknown exactly how many were sent to the Alamo City.
“Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles,” said Press Secretary Andrew Mahaleris in a statement. “Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be swiftly held accountable to the full extent of the law.”
The move comes as organizations plan immigration rallies in San Antonio and beyond this week. “No Kings” demonstrations are set to unfold across the country Saturday in what that movement’s organizers are calling “a nationwide day of defiance” and “nonviolent action” against President Donald Trump’s policies. Community advocates say a protest is also set to unfold at City Hall on Wednesday evening.
“Peaceful protest is legal,” Abbott posted on X (formerly Twitter) late Tuesday night. “Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest.”
Protests arrived to Alamo City streets in the form of peaceful demonstration last weekend. But it also comes amid rising tensions over anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles, where thousands have taken to the streets and National Guard troops have begun to protect immigration agents as they make arrests.
On Tuesday night, LA Mayor Karen Bass issued a curfew for the downtown area “to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting.”
Subsequent protests have erupted across Texas this week. On Sunday, a crowd of about 100 marched in downtown San Antonio’s main plaza against Trump’s immigration crackdown and ICE arrests, which they argued are being conducted without due process.
Protestors say they were encouraged with the turnout on Sunday despite the heat.
Meanwhile, a contingent of officials including Mayor Ron Nirenberg, City Manager Erik Walsh and SAPD Chief William McManus are set to hold a Wednesday morning news conference to “share the city’s plan to support peaceful demonstration while ensuring public safety.”
In a message posted to social media Tuesday night, Nirenberg said news of the deployment emphasized the necessity for peaceful demonstration, adding “destruction is never appropriate.”
He also said anyone who felt “fear and frustration” because of the Trump administration’s immigration policies “are more than justified.”
“I empathize with the fear and fatigue this federal administration is causing within the San Antonio community, but we should heed the chief’s calls to remain peaceful should you choose to demonstrate this weekend,” the mayor said. “I also want to offer our full faith and support to both the San Antonio Police Department and the greater San Antonio community to maintain peace and order. We are confident that San Antonio knows how to do this right.”
ICE operations have ramped up across the country in the last two weeks, including in San Antonio. On May 28, dozens of migrants were detained by ICE agents, a spokesperson said, amid operations in the downtown area. They included a 21-year-old Cuban man whose mother told KENS 5 was taken away just as he was arriving for an immigration hearing.
The local arrests and operations continued from there. A day later at least three migrants were arrested in northwest San Antonio, at Huebner Oaks shopping center, and on Tuesday a man said his Bolivian wife and two children were taken into custody. The youngest, he said, is a 1-year-old American.
The arrests come as the Trump administration sets a new goal of making 3,000 immigration arrests per day in the U.S.
“Most aliens who illegally entered the United States within the past two years are subject to expedited removals,” ICE previously told KENS 5. “ICE is now following the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been.”
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