Jan 18 (Reuters) - The Pentagon has ordered roughly 1,500 active-duty soldiers to be placed on prepare-to-deploy orders for a potential deployment to Minnesota, U.S. media reported on Sunday, as large protests continue over a federal deportation operation.
The Washington Post, citing unnamed defense officials, said the Army has positioned those units so they can deploy quickly if unrest in the state escalates, but it remained unclear whether any troops would ultimately be sent. The White House told the Post it is standard for the Pentagon "to be prepared for any decision the President may or may not make." Reuters sought comment from the Pentagon and the White House but did not receive an immediate response.
“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota 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, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT,” President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
According to the Post and ABC News, the soldiers readied for possible deployment are cold-weather specialists assigned to two infantry battalions of the 11th Airborne Division, which is based in Alaska.
Tensions in Minneapolis, the state's largest city, have risen after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, on January 7 as she drove away after being ordered to exit her vehicle. In response to the unrest, the administration has sent nearly 3,000 federal agents from ICE and Border Patrol to Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul since early last week.
People protest against ICE, after a U.S. immigration agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in her car in Minneapolis, in New York City, January 7. REUTERS/Angelina Katsanis
The president has framed deployments to cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Memphis and Portland as necessary to combat crime and protect federal property and personnel, while also announcing withdrawals of the National Guard from some locations that have faced legal challenges.
Local leaders have accused the federal government of overreach, saying isolated incidents of violence are being amplified to justify the use of troops. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has mobilized the state's National Guard to support local law enforcement and emergency management agencies, the state Department of Public Safety said on X. The Justice Department has opened a criminal inquiry related to the governor, according to reports.
The administration has cited an alleged theft of federal funds intended for social-welfare programs in Minnesota as part of its rationale for sending immigration agents, and officials have repeatedly singled out the state's Somali immigrant community in public comments.
The Insurrection Act is a federal statute that allows the president to deploy active-duty military or federalize National Guard units inside the United States to suppress rebellions or unlawful assemblies that obstruct federal law. If the president determines those conditions are met, the armed forces may be used to enforce federal authority.
Reporting: Chandni Shah in Bengaluru. Editing: Tom Hogue and William Mallard.
