Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday the deployment of 5,000 Texas National Guard members and 2,000 state troopers to "maintain order at" protests throughout the state this weekend.
Numerous protests opposing the policies of President Donald Trump are scheduled for Saturday in Texas and across the nation. These protests come as President Trump has called up 2,100 National Guard members and 700 Marines in Los Angeles.
Military members are unable to conduct law enforcement missions but can be used to provide support for officers.
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Abbott said his state "will not tolerate the lawlessness we've seen in LA."
"Anyone who damages property or harms a person will be arrested," he added. "Don't mess with Texas."
More than two dozen No Kings Day protests are scheduled for Texas this weekend, part of hundreds slated to occur nationwide.
Organizers of the rallies are urging demonstrators to remain peaceful. They oppose the mobilization of military forces in response to protests.
“The No Kings mobilizations on June 14 were already planned as a peaceful stand against authoritarian overreach and the gross abuse of power this Administration has shown," No Kings leaders said in a statement. "Now, this military escalation only confirms what we’ve known: this government wants to rule by force, not serve the people. From major cities to small towns, we’ll rise together and say: we reject political violence. We reject fear as governance. We reject the myth that only some deserve freedom."
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Although President Trump's deployment of troops has been unwelcome by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, the city has instituted a nighttime curfew for downtown.
Police also declared an unlawful assembly Wednesday as numerous protesters were arrested.
Twenty-one Democratic attorneys general signed an amicus brief supporting California's efforts to stop President Trump from sending members of the National Guard to confront protesters. They claim state governors must agree to the deployment of the National Guard.
