The Pentagon has directed around 1,500 active-duty soldiers to get ready for a potential deployment to Minnesota, where significant protests against the government’s deportation efforts have been taking place, as reported by U.S. media on Sunday. These soldiers have been put on standby for deployment orders in the event that the situation escalates in the northern state, according to sources cited by the Washington Post. It remains uncertain if any of these soldiers will be dispatched.
The White House conveyed to the Post in a statement that it is customary for the Pentagon to be prepared for any decisions that the President may consider. Both the Pentagon and the White House have not provided immediate responses to requests for comments from Reuters.
President Donald Trump issued a threat on Thursday to utilize the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces if state officials do not intervene to stop protesters from targeting immigration officials following a surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Trump emphasized that if the authorities in Minnesota fail to uphold the law and prevent agitators from attacking ICE personnel, he would implement the INSURRECTION ACT.
Tensions have been escalating between residents and officers in Minneapolis, the largest city in Minnesota, after a tragic incident where an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three. The soldiers on standby for deployment are specialized in cold-weather operations and originate from two U.S. army infantry battalions under the 11th Airborne Division based in Alaska, as reported by the Post and ABC News.
President Trump has dispatched nearly 3,000 federal agents from ICE and U.S. Border Patrol to Minneapolis and St. Paul following the shooting incident. He has defended these troop deployments in various cities as necessary to combat crime and safeguard federal assets from protesters. However, recent legal issues and opposition have led to the withdrawal of the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland.
Local leaders have criticized the President for federal overreach and for exaggerating sporadic instances of violence to justify military intervention. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is under a federal criminal investigation by the Justice Department, has activated the state’s National Guard to assist local law enforcement and emergency services.
President Trump has frequently referenced a scandal involving the misappropriation of federal funds intended for social welfare programs in Minnesota as a reason for deploying immigration agents. The Insurrection Act empowers the President to deploy the military or federalize National Guard troops within the U.S. to suppress domestic disturbances when deemed necessary to enforce the law or quell rebellion.