The city of Austin has been notified that the Texas National Guard will be "prepared to assist" with protests against the Trump administration this weekend, Mayor Kirk Watson said.
"No Kings" demonstrations are scheduled to take place across the country Saturday to coincide with the president's birthday and a military parade in Washington, D.C., to mark the Army's 250th birthday. A protest at the state Capitol is planned for 5 to 8 p.m.
National Guard troops have already been deployed to Los Angeles in response to protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Gov. Greg Abbott has in anticipation of protests Wednesday night.
In a, Abbott said the "Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace and order ... The Texas National Guard will use every tool and strategy to help law enforcement maintain order."
On Monday night, hundreds of people protested in downtown Austin in solidarity with the protesters in LA. The demonstration started out peaceful, but then escalated into the evening as a crowd gathered in front of the J.J. Pickle federal building, which is reportedly being used by ICE as a detention center. The front of the building was vandalized with anti-Trump graffiti. Police Chief Lisa Davis said protesters also started harassing cops.
Austin police officers arrested eight people, while DPS reported making five arrests. Charges included felony criminal mischief, harassment of a public servant, failure to obey a lawful order and resisting arrest.
Davis said in a press conference Tuesday that the Austin Police Department was working with Texas Department of Public Safety to prepare for weekend protests and had not expected any outside agencies to assist. But the mayor confirmed Wednesday that troops would be ready to respond "if deemed necessary."
APD would not comment on the potential deployment to Austin and referred KUT to the National Guard.
In a written statement, Watson said the city supports peaceful protesting, but destructive actions or efforts to hurt police or other people is not tolerated.
“We are dealing with a very real situation right now that impacts the lives of very real people,� he said. “Much of what we see out of Washington is to create fear and chaos � we should not play into these politics of fear. Adding to the chaos � through destruction of property, hurting other people, including police officers, or otherwise � adds to the problems for those people being targeted while empowering those in Washington who want more pain and chaos.�
