What to know
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott deployed over 2,000 Department of Public Safety troopers and 5,000 National Guard soldiers statewide ahead of planned No Kings protests.
- Troopers, including Texas Rangers and special agents, are tasked with responding to potential criminal or violent activity at protest sites.
- Officials say the National Guard will support law enforcement in maintaining public safety.
By Suryatapa Chakraborty
Source The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS — Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday morning that he deployed over 2,000 troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety and more than 5,000 Texas National Guard soldiers across the state ahead of the planned protests on Saturday, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
“Don’t mess with Texas — and don’t mess with Texas law enforcement,” Abbott said in the news release.
The DPS troopers include special agents and Texas Rangers. They have been deployed to respond to potential criminal or violent activities at the protest in addition to thousands of troopers already stationed throughout the state, according to the news release.
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Jolt Action, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening Latino civic participation in Texas, released a statement on Wednesday criticizing Abbott’s decision to deploy the Texas National Guard.
The statement said this decision “undermines the constitutional right of free speech and peaceful assembly protected by the First Amendment.”
The Texas National Guard soldiers have been strategically positioned to support the state and local law enforcement response to any criminal activity, according to the news release from Abbott’s office.
The planned No Kings protests are scheduled to take place on Saturday across the state in Dallas, Frisco, McKinney, Denton, Arlington, Fort Worth, Flower Mound and several other locations.
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