The Republican governor’s threat comes as President Donald Trump has deployed 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard soldiers to quell unruly anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, a move critics warn is escalatory, performative and violates state state sovereignty.
Multiple people demonstrating against the White House’s increasingly cruel deportation actions were arrested in Austin Monday evening, according to multiple news stories. Officers from the Department of Public Safety also teargassed protesters there, KXAN reports.
“Between the Austin Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety, more than a dozen protesters were arrested in Austin,” Abbott said in his Tuesday tweet.
The governor continued: “Peaceful protesting is legal. But once you cross the line, you will be arrested. FAFO.”
FAFO is an acronym for the phrase “fuck around and find out,” which, as of late, has been used in right-wing circles online to discourage protesters.
The protests in Austin were organized by the city’s chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), which is also planning a protest at San Antonio’s Travis Park this Sunday. PSL also helped organize a protest at San Antonio City Hall this past Sunday.
The protests in Austin, San Antonio and elsewhere in Texas are part of a nationwide movement in response to the Trump Administration’s crackdown on demonstrations in Los Angeles sparked by ICE raids over the weekend.
In addition to Austin and San Antonio, protests have also spread to San Francisco, New York, and Dallas, among other locations.
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This article appears in May 29 – Jun 11, 2025.