The Pentagon has placed approximately 1,500 active-duty soldiers on standby for possible deployment to Minneapolis, according to a defense official, as tensions continue to escalate following the fatal shooting of a civilian by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
The soldiers, members of the 11th Airborne Division stationed at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska, represent one contingency option should President Trump decide to deploy federal military personnel in response to ongoing demonstrations in the Minnesota city. As of this report, no final decision has been made regarding their deployment.
The standby order comes as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz mobilized the state’s National Guard on Saturday, though guard members have not yet been deployed to city streets. Governor Walz had issued a warning order earlier this month to prepare guard members for potential mobilization following the January 7 shooting death of Renee Good by an ICE officer.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey addressed the situation during a Sunday television appearance, emphasizing that local and state authorities are managing public safety. “We are doing the work to keep people safe in our city, and, specifically, it is our local police officers, it is the state of Minnesota and our governor,” Frey stated. “We are doing everything possible to keep the peace, notwithstanding this occupying force that has quite literally invaded our city.”
The possibility of military deployment intensified Thursday when President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a centuries-old statute that would authorize him to send federal troops into Minneapolis. The president indicated he would take such action if Minnesota officials “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.”
Such a move would represent a significant escalation in the already strained relationship between Minnesota officials and the federal government. The Trump administration has already deployed thousands of federal law enforcement agents to the state in recent weeks as part of an intensified immigration enforcement campaign.
This marks another instance in which President Trump has raised the prospect of invoking the Insurrection Act, having threatened to do so during both his first term and earlier in his current term. However, he has never actually exercised this authority.
Despite the heightened federal presence, the Minneapolis Police Department reported Saturday that demonstrators have remained peaceful and lawful. “Today, when crowds blocked roadways, vehicles were used to block roadways, MPD deployed resources and made public announcements for people move to the sidewalk or out of the area. This occurred several times. In general, crowds were responsive to those directives,” the department stated, urging community members to continue demonstrating peacefully.
The situation underscores the complex constitutional questions surrounding federal authority in local law enforcement matters, as well as the delicate balance between maintaining public order and respecting state sovereignty. As this situation continues to develop, the nation watches to see whether federal military forces will indeed be deployed to an American city, and what precedent such action might establish.
Related: Minnesota Governor Disputes Federal Claims on Immigration Detainer Compliance
