Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy US military forces in Minnesota as protests escalate around federal immigration enforcement.
The law of 1807 gives the President the legal authority to send out troops on American soil to quell civil disobedience. It was first invoked by Thomas Jefferson to deal with a plot to create a separate nation in the American West.
Clashes between federal agents and demonstrators in Minneapolis have surged in recent days following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer last week.
‘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,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He added, ‘Many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State.’
Trump’s threat comes following the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis, who allegedly assaulted an immigration officer during a traffic stop on Wednesday night.
The Department of Homeland Security said that two individuals attacked the federal agent with a broomstick and snow shovel as he tried to detain the Venezuelan, whose leg was struck by a bullet.
The act was last used by President George HW Bush in 1992 after he deployed federal troops during the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles.
Donald Trump is threatening to deploy US federal troops to Minnesota amid clashes with demonstrators and immigration agents
Federal agents clash with rioters on the streets of Minneapolis on Wednesday night
A member of law enforcement gestures to protesters during a clash on Wednesday night
Protests and civil unrest scenes have become common on the streets of Minneapolis since the death of Good, 37, on January 7 amid a massive immigration crackdown that has seen thousands of ICE officers sent into the Twin Cities.
Agents have yanked people from cars and homes and been confronted by angry bystanders who are demanding that officers pack up and leave.
Mayor Jacob Frey described the situation as not ‘sustainable.’
It is unclear whether Trump plans to federalize the National Guard or deploy US Army troops to Minnesota if he authorizes the Insurrection Act.
Federal agents have used tear gas and flash bangs during nightly battles on the streets of Minneapolis, while protesters have responded by launching fireworks at officers.
State and local leaders have condemned the federal immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, with Governor Tim Walz referring to it as an ‘occupation’ and saying agents were ‘kidnapping people for no reason.’
Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed Frey and Walz were inciting an ‘insurrection’ with their recent statements.
‘It’s disgusting. Walz and Frey – I’m focused on stopping YOU from your terrorism by whatever means necessary. This is not a threat. It’s a promise,’ Blanche wrote on X last night.
Last year, the President repeatedly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in order to federalize National Guard troops in major US cities.
A federal agent walks through tear gas smoke during clashes with rioters in Minneapolis on Wednesday night
