Texas lawmakers react to protests against President Trump's immigration policies, ICE, deportations
Protests against President Trump's deportation policies have divided Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill and across the country.
Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, praised the President's decision to deploy the National Guard in California. During an interview for Eye On Politics, Cruz told CBS News Texas, "The reason he did that that is because Gavin Newsome and Karen Bass, the Governor and Mayor, refused to enforce the law, and in fact, they sided with the criminals, they sided with the rioters, they sided with the lawlessness. And what President Trump said is he's going to step in and protect our communities, that if the local officials won't protect the communities, the federal government is going to."
U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, told CBS News Texas that he believes the President over-reacted. "What was happening within this very small radius of one square mile did not require the intervention of the National Guard, according to the Governor and the Mayor, and this is the showdown that Trump has been wanting for a long time."
Veasey also said he agreed that anyone caught breaking the law should be arrested and prosecuted. "I think that the lunatics that are out there doing that and throwing things at law enforcement vehicles, obviously they need to be arrested. They need to be prosecuted. They don't need to be pardoned like J-Sixers. They need to be put in jail and held accountable for their recklessness and their lawlessness. I also think they didn't need to call in the guard."
Last week, Governor Greg Abbott, R-Texas, announced he deployed more than 5,000 Texas National Guard soldiers and more than 2,000 Texas State troopers in advance of planned protests this weekend.
Senator Cruz praised the Governor's decision. "I think the Governor is exactly right. In Texas, we are going to do whatever is necessary to prevent violence," said Cruz. "Everyone has a 1st amendment right to protest. You can speak, and you can speak peacefully, and the Constitution protects that right. Nobody has a right to engage in crimes of violence. Nobody has a right to throw rocks and other objects at police officers. Nobody has a right to light police cars on fire. Nobody has a right to loot stores."
Watch the full interview with Senator Cruz below:
Congressman Veasey said he doesn't think the National Guard will be necessary. "I doubt that the guard is needed. I anticipate all of the protests here in the Dallas area to be completely peaceful." He also said the Governor may have had other reasons for deploying the guard. "Abbott is probably also thinking that this foolish president that we have will call in the guard for him and nationalize the guard if Abbott doesn't call them in."
Watch the full interview with Rep. Veasey below:
This week's full episode can be found below:
