IF PUBLICITY-SEEKING ICE HAD NOT NOTIFIED THE MEDIA AHEAD OF TIME FOR EVERY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT THEY WERE GOING TO BUST, WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE EXPERIENCING ALL THIS SHIT

Texas sees multiple arrests across statewide ICE protests

 

By Andrew Freeman

 

CBS Austin

Jun11, 2025

 

Those arrested by Austin PD were identified as Conor Williams and Abigail Pore, both charged with criminal mischief for graffiti at the federal building; Alexandra Haddix, charged with failure to obey a lawful order; Cody Bates, charged with harassment of a public servant; Edgar Tovar, charged with reckless driving; Shaneal Harun, charged with riot and resisting arrest; Margarito Perez Montalvo, charged with interference with public duties and resisting arrest; and Hayden Perez, charged with failure to obey a lawful order and harassment of a public servant. 

 

AUSTIN, Texas — The country has seen ICE protests coast-to-coast in recent days, including several here in Texas.

Not just Austin, but Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, too.

While California's governor has criticized President Trump's deployment of 4,000 National Guard and more than 700 Marines in his state, Texas Governor Greg Abbott praised the move. He ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to be on standby to assist with the protests we've seen here.

In Austin, two separate protests happened downtown Monday evening to protest ICE and stand in solidarity with Los Angeles.

"We will not be silenced. We will not be afraid." Laiba Khan, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, said. "Immigrants are the backbone of our society. Once again, they are all of us. They are our family members. They are our community members."

Austin Police ultimately declared a gathering outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building unlawful.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers eventually deployed tear gas.

The Austin Police Department arrested eight people while the Texas DPS arrested five. Four Austin police officers were injured.

Hundreds showed up for protests in San Antonio and Houston over the weekend, and in Dallas, one was arrested during its own protests Monday evening.

"Don't cross that line. We will, in fact, come down hard on you, because we're going to enforce the law," Kevin Lawrence, Texas Municipal Police Association Executive Director, said. "One of the great things about being a cop in Texas is that Texas has a history of enforcing the law."

Lawrence applauds Governor Abbott's strong response and the cooperation between agencies.

"It's about public safety," Lawrence said. "It's not to protect our cops. It's not to protect our politicians. It is to protect the general public as much as we possibly can."

In a post on X early this morning, Governor Greg Abbott said, in part:

"Peaceful protesting is legal. But once you cross the line, you will be arrested."

Caro Achar with the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas says the response is no surprise, given his use of state troopers against student protestors at the University of Texas at Austin last year.

"If you only have free speech rights when you're saying something the government approves of, that's not a right, that's just a privilege," Achar said. "And that's a privilege that can be taken away as easily as it can be granted."

With more nationwide protests expected this Saturday to counter a military parade being held to celebrate the anniversary of the U.S. Army and President Trump's birthday, Lawrence says what concerns him most is the organization. There's a website tracking hundreds of protests.

"The organizers of these events, I believe, are counting on the fact that there's always a certain small percentage of people who are going to become violent, and law enforcement has to be ready to respond to that in a moment's notice," Lawrence said.

The "No Kings" protests will be happening all across the country this weekend, happening in all of Texas' largest cities, but also Pflugerville, Taylor, and Bastrop. The Austin protest will begin at 5 p.m. at the state Capitol.