The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers stationed in Alaska to prepare for a possible deployment to the state of Minnesota, where large protests are taking place against the government's deportation campaign, two US officials confirmed to Reuters.
According to sources, the US Army has placed units on standby in case the situation in the Midwest state escalates into violence, although it is not yet clear whether troops will actually be sent to the field.
President Donald Trump warned Thursday that he could use the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces if state authorities do not stop protesters he says are obstructing and attacking immigration officials. The threat came after a surge in ICE agents and increasingly tense confrontations in Minneapolis.
Tensions have been particularly high since the killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, who was shot and killed by an ICE officer while in her car on January 7. The incident has sparked widespread anger and ongoing protests in the city.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Sunday that any military deployment would make the situation worse. He noted that the Trump administration has already deployed about 3,000 federal and Border Patrol agents to deal with protests that he said are largely peaceful.
“It would be a shocking step. We don’t need more federal agents to be safe. We are safe,” Frey said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Justice Department is investigating an incident at a church in St. Paul, where protesters interrupted a religious service to protest the fact that one of the pastors is suspected of also working for ICE. Footage shared online shows protesters chanting “ICE out,” while the church leader calls their behavior “disgraceful.”
The situation in Minnesota remains tense, as the Trump administration signals that it is prepared to use extraordinary means to curb the protests.
