Houston prepares for a weekend of protests as Governor Abbott deploys National Guard statewide.
HOUSTON — As unrest continues in other parts of the country, local and state leaders in Texas are preparing for what is expected to be a busy weekend of protests.
Among those events across the area include the “No Kings” protest — a national movement that organizers say is a response to the “increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption” by the Trump administration. There is also a rally and protest set by immigrant rights advocacy group FIEL on Friday evening in Houston that specifically focuses on the recent surge of ICE detentions and deportations.
The topic of ICE action sparked the protest and subsequent unrest in cities like Los Angeles. That unrest and the scheduled protests for this weekend prompted Governor Greg Abbott to activate the Texas National Guard across the state.
“We want to make sure that what has happened in California does not happen in Texas,” Abbot said in a news conference in Austin Wednesday. “Texas is a law-and-order state and we’ll use every tool that we can to ensure order across our state.”
Abbott did not talk about specifics of where guardsmen were deployed, but addressed the boundaries of legal protest.
“There is freedom of speech,” Abbott said. “However, if in your protest, you damage somebody’s property, or you harm an individual that’s violating the law, and you will be arrested for it.”
Other GOP leaders drew attention to the issue as well. Rep. Wesley Hunt sent a letter to Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo where he called for a “zero-tolerance policy for violent riots,” calling the events in Los Angeles “domestic terrorism”.
Hunt also called the scheduled “No Kings” protests “riots”.
Mayor Whitmire pushed back on Hunt’s letter.
“We will not tolerate civil disobedience,” Whitmire said. “But In terms of the letter, it was speaking about something that does not exist in Houston, Texas.”
District I Councilmember Joaquin Martinez echoed that sentiment.
“It’s just disingenuous, it sparks some of that agitation,” Martinez told KHOU 11. “And so as elected officials, I think we hold a higher responsibility to speak truth.”
Whitmire and other council members touted what they call a strong tradition in Houston of peaceful protest, but noted law enforcement are ready to respond.
“We’re so prepared,” Whitmire said. “We have such a great police department, a diverse police department that has so much experience.”
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, currently in France on a trade mission, released a statement saying Harris County “remains fully committed to the safety and constitutional rights of all residents” and expressing full confidence in local law enforcement agencies, which are “fully equipped and prepared to safeguard peaceful demonstrations, while ensuring the well being of all involved.”
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez also issued a statement noting the county’s long history of peaceful protest and saying his office “stands ready to react swiftly and effectively to any actions that threaten public safety and property.”
Organizers of some “No Kings” protests outside of Houston told KHOU 11 they have been in communication with local law enforcement and plan on a peaceful protest. But they also say they have received online threats, some of which signaled violence against them.
Others, like FIEL executive director Cesar Espinoza added criticism of Abbott and Hunt.
“It’s bad optics and it’s bad policy and it’s bad leadership,” Espinoza told KHOU 11.
Espinoza said his organization always calls on its rally and protest participants to join peacefully, but he is concerned about the impact of increased law enforcement and potentially the National Guard.
“What we also don’t condone is the heavy police presence and the antagonism that some of these National Guardsmen and police have shown in other parts of the country,” Espinoza said.
A “No Kings” rally and march is planned at Houston City Hall on Saturday morning with other events planned in Conroe, Cypress, Katy, Kingwood, League City and Sugar Land.
FIEL is planning a rally and protest at the Core Civic Houston Processing Center at 7 p.m. On Friday.