US Officials Say Pentagon Preparing to Deploy 1,500 Troops to Minnesota

US officials said that the Pentagon is preparing to deploy 1,500 troops from Alaska to Minnesota. The deployment of troops comes amidst ongoing anti-ICE protests taking place in the state as a result of the fatal shooting of Renee Good by ICE officer Jonathan Ross.

Speaking to Reuters, US officials said the Department of Defence has ordered 1,500 active-duty soldiers from Alaska to prepare for a potential deployment to Minnesota. The soldiers are on prepare-to-deploy orders in case the ongoing protests escalate, though it remains to be seen whether any active-duty unit would actually be sent. The order follows Thursday's threats from President Donald Trump, who threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy the military if state officials do not crack down on the demonstrations against ICE and Border Patrol officers.

Trump's Threat

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump made the threat of invoking the Insurrection Act in Minnesota. US officials also said that the units that could be deployed to Minnesota specialise in cold-weather operations. The units are from two US Army infantry battalions under the 11th Airborne Division.

'If the corrupt politicians in Minnesota don't obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of ICE, who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT,' said Trump.

Trump has already deployed 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol officers to Minneapolis and the neighbouring city of St. Paul since the previous week to reinforce their presence in the area. The areas involved are cities run by opposition, namely Democratic politicians.

State leaders have accused the Republican administration of exaggerating isolated instances of violence during protests to justify sending troops. However, even if troops are deployed to Minnesota, it is unclear if Trump could use the Insurrection Act, as even without invoking the Act, the president can deploy military forces for purposes such as the protection of federal property.

Minneapolis Mayor Pushes Back

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has since pushed back on efforts to reinforce the presence of ICE and Border Patrol agents in his city, including the recent potential deployment of 1,500 troops. Frey, a Democrat, said the order was only a ploy to intimidate residents of Minneapolis, as confrontations between them and federal immigration agents have grown tense following the fatal shooting of Good.

'This act was clearly designed to intimidate the people of Minneapolis,' said Frey in an appearance on 'State of the Union' on Sunday. 'And here's the thing: We're not going to be intimidated. If the goal here is safety, we've got many mechanisms to achieve safety. And the best way to get safety is not to have an influx of even more agents and in this case, military, in Minneapolis.'

'Right now we have about 600 police officers, and they've got 3,000 or so ICE agents and [Border Patrol],' Frey continued. 'That they are now talking about deploying 1,500 military, this is – well, it's ridiculous, but we will not be intimidated by the actions of this federal government.'