The Pentagon has directed approximately 1,500 active-duty soldiers to get ready for a potential deployment to Minnesota, where large protests against the government’s deportation actions have been ongoing, as reported by U.S. media on Sunday. According to unnamed defense officials cited by the Washington Post, these units have been placed on standby for deployment in case the situation escalates into violence in the northern state, although it remains uncertain if they will be deployed.
In response to the situation, the White House stated to the Post that it is customary for the Pentagon to be prepared for any decisions the President may consider, without confirming any specific actions. Requests for comments from Reuters to both the Pentagon and the White House were not immediately answered.
President Donald Trump recently issued a threat to utilize the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces if officials in Minnesota fail to control protesters’ actions against immigration officials following an increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. Trump’s statement on his Truth Social platform warned Minnesota officials to stop agitators and insurrectionists from targeting ICE personnel, or he would invoke the INSURRECTION ACT.
Tensions have been escalating between residents and law enforcement officers in Minneapolis, particularly after a tragic incident where an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, on January 7. The soldiers being readied for deployment have expertise in cold-weather operations and belong to two U.S. army infantry battalions within the 11th Airborne Division based in Alaska, as reported by the Post and ABC News.
In response to the heightened tensions, nearly 3,000 federal agents from ICE and U.S. Border Patrol have been deployed to Minneapolis and nearby St. Paul by President Trump over the past week. Trump’s decision to deploy troops to various cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Memphis, and Portland, has been justified as necessary to combat crime and safeguard federal assets and personnel from protesters.
Local leaders have criticized the President for what they perceive as federal overreach and an exaggeration of sporadic violent incidents to justify military intervention. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is under criminal investigation by the Justice Department, has mobilized the state’s National Guard to support local law enforcement and emergency management agencies.
Trump has frequently referred to a scandal involving the misappropriation of federal funds intended for social welfare programs in Minnesota as a basis for sending immigration agents to the state. The Insurrection Act empowers the President to deploy the military or federalize National Guard troops within the U.S. to suppress domestic uprisings when there are perceived unlawful obstructions or rebellions against federal authority.