Abbott Says It's 'About Time' Students Were Arrested Over ICE Protest Walkouts

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that students participating in school walkouts protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement should face arrest, escalating his criticism of student demonstrations that have spread across multiple school districts.

Abbott made the remarks in a social media post linking to a report about two minors arrested during a walkout in Kyle, Texas. "It's about time students like this were arrested. Harming someone is a crime — even for students," Abbott wrote, adding that "disruptive walkouts allowed by schools lead to just this kind of chaos" and warning that schools and staff who permit such protests should be treated as "co-conspirators" and not be immune from criminal liability.

Abbott also said his administration is "looking into stripping the funding of schools that abandon their duty to teach our kids the curriculum required by law."

It’s about time students like this were arrested. Harming someone is a crime -- even for students. Disruptive walkouts allowed by schools lead to just this kind of chaos. Schools and staff who allow this behavior should be treated as co-conspirators and should not be…

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) February 3, 2026

The governor's comments appeared to conflict with a statement issued by the Kyle Police Department, which said the arrests were unrelated to the walkout itself, as Border Report points out. The department said officers observed a minor in possession of alcohol during the demonstration, leading to the arrest of two juveniles. "We are aware of concerns that these arrests were related to the walkout activity; however, we would like to clarify that they are unrelated," the department said.

This afternoon, we were made aware of student-led walkouts taking place at multiple Hays CISD campuses. Approximately 500 students made their way to the downtown area. Our officers were present on...

State Rep. Erin Zwiener, a Democrat whose district includes Hays County, criticized Abbott's response in comments made to Border Report, saying he was using a single incident to broadly attack student protesters:

"The Governor is still choosing to take this moment of one high school student making a bad decision and trying to use that to attack student protesters across the state. I am sick of Governor Abbott using Hays CISD as a prop in his attack on public schools"

Hays Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Eric Wright said the district did not organize or condone the walkouts and announced new rules requiring parents to sign students out of school to participate in protests. Students who leave without permission will receive unexcused absences and face disciplinary consequences.

Abbott's comments come amid broader scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement and public reaction to recent ICE operations nationwide. In a separate interview earlier this week, Abbott said the White House may need to "recalibrate" how immigration enforcement is carried out to restore public confidence, while maintaining the administration's goal of removing people in the country illegally.

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