Judging from their actions in other states, leftwing activists seem to think they can protect illegal alien criminals from deportation by yelling, screaming and assaulting federal law enforcement officers. While that tactic might produce some success in blue cities in blue states that turn a blind eye to leftwing crime, that sort of law-breaking doesn’t fly in Texas.
A protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) moved through downtown Austin without a city permit Saturday night, leading to multiple arrests by law enforcement.
The protest was part of a wave that began after the fatal shooting of Minnesota woman, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, 37, by an ICE Deportation Officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
The demonstration, organized by the group Dare to Struggle Austin, began around 6:30 p.m. Saturday outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building, located on East 8th Street.
Dare to Struggle is one of those astroturf pro-illegal alien, anti-law enforcement organizations that seems to have sprung up overnight. Not much information online about their funding sources, but what are the odds that Soros or Singham orgs are bankrolling them?
“We were out there [Saturday] night to demand justice for Renee Good,” said Emi, a member of Dare to Struggle Austin.”
Good got justice. She tried to run over a federal agent and was killed in self defense.
The protesters blocked 8th Street around 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Austin Police Department (APD) and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers arrived shortly after. Around, 6:45 p.m., DPS issued several loudspeaker warnings instructing protesters to leave the roadway or “force will be used.”
For nearly two hours, protesters marched through several downtown streets, blocking traffic as they moved. Emi said the group intentionally did not coordinate with law enforcement beforehand, adding that blocking streets was necessary “to challenge the system.”
“We believe it is right to rebel against a system that incarcerates people, puts them in detention centers, and tears families apart,” Emi said.
Translation: Our right to virtue signal trumps your right to use public streets.
Austin Police Association (APA) President Michael Bullock said Sunday that although people have a right to protest, public demonstrations must still operate within legal limits.
“The First Amendment is an inviolate right that people have and that we are here to safeguard,” Bullock said. “But that doesn’t mean you can trample on other people’s rights or impede traffic, take over roadways, or commit other criminal acts — that is not a First Amendment right.”
Indeed.
When the protest returned to the Pickle Building around 7:30 p.m., DPS sprayed a chemical irritant at the protesters. Many left the area shortly after.
Pepper spray!
Pepper spray!
Pepper spray makes us go away!
Multiple arrests were then made by APD and DPS officers. APD said it expects to have updated numbers available Monday.
Even though Austin is a deep blue city, the close scrutiny it receives as the capital city of a very red state means that it can’t get away with letting lawbreaking slide the way it does else, a point driven home by Texas governor Greg Abbott:
Texas is not Minnesota. https://t.co/m562tMpKPu
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 11, 2026
Indeed. Texas enforces the law.
Take your crazy leftist protests elsewhere.
Tags: Austin, Austin Police Department, Border Controls, Dare to Struggle Austin, Democrats, Greg Abbott, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Michael Bullock, police, Social Justice Warriors, Texas, Texas DPS
Make good commies.
“One riot, one Ranger.” This must have been a training exercise.
Where is the money supporting these protests coming from?
Minnesota entrepreneurs or NGOs gorged on Soros contibutions?
@ 10×25:
Jeff Bezo’s ex is fast become one of the biggest funders of left-wing violence in the world. From AI:
“As of January 2026, MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos’s ex-wife, has given away over $26.3 billion to nonprofits since her 2019 divorce settlement, with a significant portion of her donations supporting causes aligned with social equity, economic justice, and racial and gender equality—often categorized as left-leaning initiatives. In 2025 alone, she donated over $7.1 billion to 186 organizations globally, marking her largest annual giving to date.”
26 billion buys a lot of street violence.
If ICE is trying t9 apprehend someone wanted for rape and a terrorist (I refuse to call this behavior “activism” or “protest”) intervenes, can they be charged with accessory to rape ?
Indeed. Texas enforces the law.
Can it be that easy? Just arrest people for breaking the law and prosecute them (with sentencing and prison time)?
Why, yes! Yes it IS that simple!
Back in the summer of love, Austin was / did defund the PD. Gov. Abbott threaten to convert the PD to a branch of the Department of Safety. It didn’t happen, but it wouldn’t take to much to make it happen.
They did, though they’ll swear up and down they didn’t, but they cut funding and cancelled a cadet class.
What they wanted to do was transfer police funding to social justice NGOs.
It is vitally important to maintain the distinction between self-defense and “justice.” Conflating the two is a category error that leads to all sorts of analytical problems.
Self-defense is purely a matter of stopping imminent harm; it is not punishment, retribution or “justice”. Under our system, the latter requires due process and raises considerations of proportionality.
“They were just being dumb, they didn’t deserve to be executed” and “This cop shouldn’t be judge, jury and executioner” are powerful arguments if we are discussing the realm of justice.
Preserving the right to self-defense depends on it being solely about stopping imminent harm, and avoiding any “just deserts” analysis… again, wrong category.
All living beings have a Natural Right to use force to protect themselves from harm. We don’t have a Natural Right to determine punishments for others.
Rebecca Good was a reckless woman who was engaged in deadly conduct, which entitled Agent Ross to use deadly force to stop her.
Let’s keep it at that.
It’s terrible what has happened to Minnesota. I moved here in 1985 from out West (San Diego) because I knew it was a good place to have a family, low crime, good schools, good neighborhoods, great nightlife, good friends and outdoor living, affordable housing, and oh those lakes – all the things I considered important to a good life. Then, something happened – Obama got elected, and divisions started “defining” people. You couldn’t have a different opinion, you either were of a certain thought process, or you weren’t. Differences became much harder, and reason, or consideration of another point of view became nearly impossible. And it’s gotten worse. People that I’d previously thought of as rational, well balanced friends became infected with TDS, and at another time I would have thought that they had gone insane. A friend of more than 20 years hung up the phone on me because I brought up that I thought Biden was in early stages of dementia. We haven’t spoken in six years. Another friend of 40 years launched into a tirade about Trump that a six year old could have debunked in 40 seconds. And she was one of the smartest people I have ever known. Her college persona would have kicked her ass for having such a sloppy thought process. I got a text last July saying that we were “no longer aligned” and haven’t spoken since. That thought process is utterly foreign to me, as I was raised to continually evaluate your beliefs, and the the friends you keep are the ones who challenge you. Walz and Ellison have made us the laughingstock of the country, and embarrassed the majority of Minnesotans who work hard, love their families, believe in our country, and mind their own business. We help people at the drop of a hat, and remember to say “Please” and “Thank You”. But don’t f*ck with us, because that’s the other side that you don’t want to meet. We’ll stand by every Texan, Mississippian, Oregonian (even a Green Bay fan) or any American as our family, and be proud to do so. It shames me that Walz and his ilk can can say the utter crap he does, and expect people to believe him. He’s Minnesota’s Gavin Newsome, and that’s such a disgusting thought that when he was born, the doctor should have slapped his mother. I guess, in retrospect, Minnesotans support Law Enforcement, and unfortunately, we have some Loons that seem to have escaped drowning, but not the brain damage that accompanies it.