Texas National Guard troops train in April 2025 in Brackettville to curb illegal activity at the U.S. border with Mexico. (Texas Military Department)
AUSTIN, Texas — Nearly half of the Texas National Guard could be on duty by the weekend with the more than 4,000 deployed to a mission at the U.S. border with Mexico and another 5,000 called up for a new mission to quell protests planned Saturday across the state.
Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday that the 5,000 Guard troops will stage across the state “to assist local law enforcement response to these protests and to maintain law and order.”
The Texas National Guard has roughly 22,000 soldiers and airmen.
Dozens of protests are scheduled Saturday in Texas as part of a nationwide call to host events titled “No Kings.” The 50501 Movement is behind the push, and it gets its name from 50 states, 50 protests, one movement, according to The Associated Press.
The protests this weekend are intended to counter a military parade happening Saturday in Washington to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary, which is also President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. Those opposed to Trump have said he’s exaggerated the Army’s event to mark his own birthday.
Los Angeles has also seen nearly a week of protests in response to immigration-related arrests that began Friday in area businesses in the city. Hundreds of protesters have been arrested in L.A., and city officials have instituted a curfew in the few blocks of downtown where violence and destruction of property have occurred.
Texas, too, has seen protesters rallying in the streets against the ongoing sweeps by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. In Austin, arrests were made this week when some protesters refused to disperse.
The state also has more than 4,000 troops working on a 4-year-old state mission to deter illegal activity at the southern border with Mexico, according to Joint Task Force Southern Border, a federal mission that has another 6,000 federal troops deployed across every southwest border state.
Abbott’s office did not respond Thursday to questions about the state’s border mission, known as Operation Lone Star. His office also did not clarify whether any troops already working at the border will simply shift to the protests.
“Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles in response to President Donald Trump’s enforcement of immigration law,” Abbott said. “Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be arrested and held accountable to the full extent of the law. Don’t mess with Texas — and don’t mess with Texas law enforcement.”
