Anti-ICE protesters in Austin rallied for the 3rd night in a week, demanding an end to deportations and expressing solidarity with Los Angeles protests.
Protesters gathered outside the JJ Pickle federal building in Downtown Austin, where authorities set up barricades without making arrests or maintaining a police presence during the event.
“We’re here standing in solidarity with our detained comrades, and, you know, just immigrant members of our community. The fact that they’re getting rounded up and thrown in, you know, prison and thrown out of our country for, you know, false reasons or no reason at all, and we’re really concerned.” — Reese Armstrong with the Austin Students for a Democratic Society
Photos: CBS Austin
The demonstration, organized by Austin Students for a Democratic Society, aimed to be peaceful while making loud, disruptive sounds to share views and demand action.
Protestors remained across the street from the federal building, which is being used as an ICE facility. Police remained out of sight.
The week-long protests demonstrated a shift in tactics and police response, from violent confrontations to more controlled demonstrations.
Recent protests outside the building also happened twice last week. Law enforcement arrested thirteen people on Monday, June 9.
New information concerning officer activity during the “No Kings” protest Saturday night, June 14, has been released. Three arrests were made and three APD officers suffered minor injuries.
Despite credible threats and the governor’s statement about deploying 5,000 National Guard soldiers and 2,000 Texas DPS troopers, the Texas National Guard was largely absent from Austin protests due to operational security reasons.
Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock says Saturday night’s demonstration went “smoothly”.
Meanwhile, a concerned citizen alerted authorities that a man was heading to a protest at the Texas State Capitol on Saturday with the intent to harm state lawmakers. The suspect, from Katy, was then stopped for speeding and was discovered to have a gun. The Department of Public Safety says that the suspect has not actually been charged with anything relating to those threats.
President Trump has ordered ICE to expand deportations in Democratic-run cities, aiming for the largest mass deportation program in history.
Graffiti seen spray painted on the 1st Street Bridge downtown.
Undocumented workers in some industries throughout the U.S. and Texas will reportedly no longer be a priority in the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett said Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has only 29 fully trained air traffic controllers when it needs 60 to ensure adequate safety margins, leading to ground stops during heavy traffic periods and bad weather.
The CapMetro Transit Police Department started its first patrols on Monday.
CapMetro’s 12-officer transit police unit, launched after decades of planning. It aims to address community and driver safety concerns by providing a visible presence and partnering with drivers.
License plate readers will no longer be used in Austin after the end of this month. (Fox7 Austin)
As the use of automatic license plate readers remains controversial in some Central Texas cities, Round Rock is expanding its program.
An Austin man is facing charges after a fatal accident last week.
Austin police have released new details on a deadly hit-and-run accident last month on South Congress Avenue.
A driver on I-35 yesterday told police someone on the interstate was following them and flashed a gun at them.
First responders aided an injured hiker Monday.
Austin firefighters responded to a commercial structure fire last night.
Officials in Hays County are looking for a runaway.
Eanes ISD Superintendent Jeff Arnett announced his retirement, effective July 31. After three years leading the West Austin district, he will be returning to a previous role at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. (Austin American-Statesman)
Facing a budget deficit of at least $110 million for the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year, Austin ISD is working to maintain educational quality amidst significant financial challenges, Interim CFO Katrina Montgomery told city and county officials. (CBS Austin)
Austin ISD is trying to slash up to $10 million in spending by restructuring its central administrative office. Staff will learn the future of their positions Wednesday. (Austin Monitor)
The Texas Education Agency has required the Austin district to develop turnaround plans for the three schools – Dobie, Webb and Burnet middle schools – because of consecutive failure to meet state academic standards. The district’s turnaround plan is based largely on a decade-old model born out of Dallas. (Austin American-Statesman)
Germany’s Spinner Group has moved its North American headquarters to Austin.
A builder of machine tools that has worked with some of the largest companies in the world, Spinner has opened its North American headquarters in Southeast Austin. (Austin Business Journal)
On Monday, the city of San Marcos issued a boil water notice due to a pump failure and loss of pressure.
Customers affected are in the areas of Quail Run, Lazy Lane, Oak, Maple, Mulberry, Mesquite, Hamilton Hollow, Knight and Day.
The microburst that hit the ATX on May 28 was the third-worst storm in Austin Energy’s history, affecting 124,000 customers with outages lasting up to four days.
On Sunday, what was expected to be a routine storm instead knocked out power to more than 13,000 customers.
Are storms getting more intense? (KVUE-TV)
WEATHER
A sunny, hot day on tap for today with little, if any, chance for rain or a storm. Highs in the mid-to-upper 90s.
Since Friday, Texas A&M Forest Service responded to two new requests for assistance on wildfires burning 35 acres across the state. Both blazes have been fully contained.
U.S. Reps. Veronica Escobar and Joaquin Castro said their names appeared on a list of targets compiled by the assassin who has been charged with killing the Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and shooting two others on Saturday. (Texas Tribune)
A Georgia man has been arraigned on federal charges after allegedly calling the offices of U.S. senators and threatening them with sexual violence, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed three bills on Monday that he says will bring more property tax relief to millions of Texas homeowners and businesses.
Abbott signed House Bill 9, Senate Bill 4 and Senate Bill 23 into law during a ceremony at the Robson Ranch, a retirement community in Denton. (CBS News)
Four years after Gov. Greg Abbott announced Texas would be the first state to build its own border wall, lawmakers have quietly stopped funding the project, leaving only scattered segments covering a small fraction of the border. (Texas Tribune)
Texas Governor Greg Abbott faces a 5-day deadline to decide on signing a controversial THC product ban, balancing concerns over teen safety against arguments of government overreach in a decision that could significantly impact the state’s cannabis industry and consumer access.
State Republicans had a banner year in Texas. Did the new House Speaker help? (KUT 90.5)
(Episode from June 16, 2025)
The latest voter analysis from The Texas Politics Project:
Last week, the Canadian shipbuilding firm Davie announced its plans to spend $1 billion to acquire, modernize, and expand facilities in Galveston and Port Arthur from the Texas-based Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corporation. (Chron)
A total of 332 individuals have been charged in border-security related cases filed from June 6-12, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. The cases include 10 involving human smuggling, with 205 people charged with illegally entering the country. (My Texas Daily)
SPORTS
MLB: The Houston Astros saw their five-game winning streak come to an end in Sacramento last night.
Nick Kurtz homered in the ninth inning for the second straight day and the Athletics beat the Houston Astros 3-1 on Monday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
Game two of the Astros-A’s series is tonight while the Texas Rangers (off last night) host the Kansas City Royals in Arlington.
A few days after his commitment, four-star wide receiver Kohen Brown canceled official visits to Notre Dame and Ole Miss. On Saturday, Brown let it be known that he isn’t taking any more visits as he has shut down his recruitment and will remain with Texas. (Longhorns Wire)
Enjoy the soothing sights and sounds of Browns Creek in Coryell County in East Texas.
