Trump warns of possible military deployment under the Insurrection Act as Minnesota sees rising protests after a fatal ICE shooting.
Minnesota ICE Protests Escalate Trump Considers Military Deployment Under Insurrection Act (Source:X/ @DawnsMission)
Immigration Protest in Minnesota: The Pentagon has asked about 1,500 active-duty soldiers based in Alaska to get ready for a possible move to Minnesota, where large protests are taking place against the government’s deportation campaign. Two US officials told Reuters about the order on Sunday.
The US Army has put these troops on prepare-to-deploy status in case the situation in the Midwestern state turns violent. However, the officials said it is not yet clear whether the soldiers will actually be sent to Minnesota.
President Donald Trump on Thursday said he might use the Insurrection Act to send the military into Minnesota if state officials do not stop protesters who are targeting immigration officers during protests against the government’s deportation efforts.
Trump posted on social media that he would invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act “if the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job.”
A day later, he appeared to step back from the threat, telling reporters there was no reason to use the law “right now.” “If I needed it, I’d use it,” Trump said. “It’s very powerful.”
The protests in Minneapolis have become more intense since Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE officer while she was sitting in her car on January 7.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act during both of his terms. In 2020, he raised the possibility following nationwide protests after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police. In recent months, he has again referenced the law in connection with immigration-related protests.
The law was last invoked in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush, who used it to control unrest in Los Angeles after the acquittal of four white police officers in the beating of Rodney King.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat and frequent target of Trump, has urged the president not to send additional troops. Last week, he made a public appeal on social media, saying, “I’m making a direct appeal to the President: Let’s turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are.”
