US: Texas Nationwide Guard ‘on standby’ forward of immigration raid protests

“I’m supportive of individuals exercising their proper to have interaction in peaceable protest in opposition to politics and insurance policies that they disagree with. Nevertheless, damaging actions or efforts to harm police is mistaken,” Watson mentioned in an announcement.

“A lot of what we see out of Washington is to create concern and chaos — we should always not play into these politics of concern,” he added. “Including to the chaos — by means of destruction of property, hurting different individuals, together with law enforcement officials, or in any other case — provides to the issues for these individuals being focused whereas empowering these in Washington who need extra ache and chaos.”

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez additionally emphasised the significance of peaceable demonstrations. “Harris County has a protracted historical past of individuals exercising their proper to protest peacefully whereas respecting opposing viewpoints, and I totally count on Saturday’s demonstrations to proceed that legacy,” Gonzalez mentioned. A lot of Houston falls inside Harris County.

In San Antonio, police chief William McManus confirmed that Nationwide Guard personnel have been despatched to the town. Nevertheless, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, a Democrat, mentioned he had not been consulted in regards to the deployment.

“However I’ve full religion and confidence in our group to train their First Modification rights peacefully,” Nirenberg mentioned.

Protests in opposition to the immigration raids started final week in Los Angeles and have since unfold nationwide.

On Monday, California sued the Trump administration after President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of two,000 California Nationwide Guard troops to Los Angeles — with out the state’s permission — in response to the protests.