A crowd of anti-ICE activists briefly seized a downtown Austin intersection near the Texas Capitol on Saturday before Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers surged forward in formation, forcing them back to the curb as tensions spiked on the asphalt.
The confrontation unfolded as demonstrators protested the recent shooting in Minneapolis of a woman who appeared to weaponize her vehicle by driving toward an ICE officer while interfering with a lawful enforcement operation. According to Breitbart, the Austin protest quickly escalated when activists poured off the sidewalks and attempted to hold the street, blocking traffic and clashing with troopers who moved in within seconds to prevent a full-scale street shutdown.
The DPS line advanced in a tight, disciplined formation as protesters chanted at officers and shoved against their shields, causing vehicles to stack up behind the human barricade. Organizers shouted instructions to hold the street, but the troopers rapid push broke the attempted takeover almost as soon as it began, driving the crowd back toward the curb and reasserting control of the intersection.
Activists had mobilized in the Texas capital to denounce the Minneapolis shooting, a case already inflamed by left-wing rhetoric from officials such as Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Perhaps emboldened by that political climate, protesters in Austin again chose to violate the law by abandoning the sidewalks and trying to seize public roadways near the Capitol rather than confining their demonstration to designated areas.
As the standoff intensified, troopers deployed pepper balls and gas canisters to disperse the most aggressive elements and regain full control of the street. The use of non-lethal crowd-control tools came after repeated warnings, underscoring DPSs determination to prevent the kind of chaos and officer endangerment that has plagued other Democrat-run jurisdictions.
In a pointed contrast to Minnesota Governor Tim Walzs handling of leftist efforts to obstruct ICE operations, Texas Governor Greg Abbott made clear that his state would not tolerate similar lawlessness. The Texas Department of Public Safety is not putting up with defiant protesters, the governor posted on social media, signaling firm support for officers on the front lines.
In a statement to Breitbart Texas, Abbott directly linked the Minneapolis incident to years of incendiary messaging from national Democrats. What happened in Minnesota is the direct result of years of reckless and dangerous rhetoric from national Democratic leaders. Federal, state, and local law enforcement officers have the right to defend themselves while carrying out their lawful responsibility. Using a vehicle as a weapon, threatening officers, or attempting to obstruct the enforcement of the law is dangerous and inexcusable.
The governor emphasized that federal immigration officers should not be forced to choose between enforcing the law and preserving their own lives. ICE agents should never have to fear for their lives for doing their jobs, Abbott added. In Texas, we back the men and women in uniform, we enforce the law, and put public safety as a top priority.
Law enforcement sources indicated that several troopers were struck or shoved as the crowd pressed against the DPS line, prompting multiple detentions after repeated orders to step back were ignored. At least a handful of protesters were taken into custody on allegations ranging from disorderly conduct to assault on a public servant, with troopers reporting they were kicked, grabbed, and hit with signs while working to clear the roadway.
Despite the attempted seizure of public streets, the Austin Police Department maintained only a limited presence at the scene. Officers were reportedly assigned instead to guard Austin City Hall, where a separate demonstration was underway, leaving state troopers to shoulder the burden of restoring order near the Capitol.
The unrest in Austin mirrored a broader pattern of agitation across the country, as churned-up activists including some allegedly paid protesters took to the streets in multiple U.S. cities. In several locations, those demonstrations tipped into violence, reinforcing concerns that professional agitators and permissive local leadership are combining to undermine public safety and the rule of law.
Saturdays brief but volatile clash highlighted the growing divide between Texas state authorities and Austins liberal city leadership over how to handle disruptive protests. As DPS troopers cleared the last holdouts from the intersection, they delivered a clear warning that the Capitol grounds and surrounding streets will not be ceded to mob tactics, and that in Texas, law enforcement will act decisively when demonstrations cross the line from peaceful expression into unlawful disruption.
Bob Price, associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team, has chronicled these escalating confrontations as part of his long-standing coverage of border and public-safety issues. An original member of the Breitbart Texas team and a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houstons Whats Your Point? Sunday program, Prices reporting underscores a central reality in Texas politics: state leaders remain committed to backing law enforcement, defending ICE, and resisting the lefts efforts to normalize street anarchy in the name of protest.
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