Though Gov. Greg Abbott has deployed thousands of military and law enforcement personnel to respond to protests against President Donald Trump and federal immigration raids across Texas this week, deployments are not expected in Corpus Christi, where a “No Kings” protest is planned June 14.
Similar demonstrations are planned across the country on June 14. In Corpus Christi, the protest is scheduled for noon until 2 p.m. at Cole Park.
Abbott has deployed more than 2,000 Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and more than 5,000 Texas National Guard soldiers across the state to assist local law enforcement responses to anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests across Texas.
“Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be arrested and held accountable to the full extent of the law,” Abbott said in a June 12 news release.
In a June 10 social media post, Abbott said, “Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest.”
A Corpus Christi Police Department spokesperson told the Caller-Times in an email on June 14 that the department is not aware of any deployments to Corpus Christi.
The upcoming Corpus Christi demonstration is being organized by Indivisible Coastal Bend. Group leader Stacie Garrecht said that the event has a permit.
An online event page for the planned protest states that a core principle of the nationwide events is “a commitment to nonviolent action” and that the protests are in response to “authoritarian excesses,” including threats to free speech and deportations and detentions.
“We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values,” the online page states.
The Corpus Christi Police Department said in an email that the department is aware of events taking place over the weekend.
“The safety of our citizens and the public is our top priority,” senior officer Antonio Contreras said in an emailed statement. “We will be monitoring events and will have additional officers in the area to monitor.”
Demonstrations against immigration raids have spread from Los Angeles across the country, including in Corpus Christi on June 10. A march in Austin on June 9 ended with the arrests of 13 people and police firing tear gas into a portion of the crowd that refused to leave, while a June 12 protest in San Antonio was the first with the National Guard present, according to the Texas Tribune.
The June 10 Corpus Christi demonstration was peaceful.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Texas troops not expected for June 14 Corpus Christi protest