Donald Trump has moved to place more than 1,500 Army paratroopers on standby as chaotic anti-ICE protests sweep Minnesota.
In the wake of violent clashes in Minneapolis between demonstrators and law enforcement, the White House has reportedly asked federal troops to stand at the ready.
Defense officials revealed the plans to ABC News on Saturday, saying the active duty soldiers would be deployed from the 11th Airborne Division, which is based in Alaska.
The base is reportedly one of the Army’s premier infantry units positioned to help deter China, but Trump is set to move resources to crush protests that erupted in Minneapolis over the ICE shooting of resident Renee Good on January 7.
Officials reportedly said Trump has not yet decided if the troops will be deployed.
‘We are taking prudent steps to prepare active-duty Army forces,’ one official said. ‘This doesn’t mean they will deploy; we are preparing options.’
The potential military deployment comes as protests in Minneapolis have resembled war zones in recent days, with tear gas and violent confrontations taking hold on the streets of the city.
The FBI has also reportedly asked US agents to travel to Minneapolis for temporary duty, according to Bloomberg.
Trump addressed the growing tensions on Sunday morning, writing on Truth Social: ‘ICE is removing some of the most violent criminals in the World from our Country, and bring them back home, where they belong. Why is Minnesota fighting this?
‘Do they really want murderers and drug dealers to be ensconced in their community?
‘The thugs that are protesting include many highly paid professional agitators and anarchists. Is this really what Minnesota wants?
‘The crooked Governor and “Congresswoman” Omar, who married her brother, don’t mind because it keeps the focus of attention off the 18 Billion Dollar, Plus, FRAUD, that has taken place in the State! Don’t worry, we’re on it!’
The move to crush the protests comes as FBI Director Kash Patel vowed on social media that his bureau would ‘crack down’ on ‘violent rioters’ in Minneapolis.
‘This team is working 24/7 here, cracking down on violent rioters and investigating the funding networks supporting the criminal actors with multiple arrests already,’ he wrote.
It remains unclear what agents who volunteered for temporary transfer would be tasked with while on duty in Minneapolis.
On Thursday, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy US military forces in Minnesota.
The law from 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.
‘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.
‘Many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,’ he added.
It comes after a District Court Judge ordered ICE not to retaliate against protesters who have taken to the streets following the killing of Renee Good.
Judge Kate Menedez, a Biden appointee, ruled that ICE agents can’t detain or tear gas protestors or people observing agents.
The ruling followed the ICE shooting of Good earlier this month, sparking debate nationwide over the use of lethal force on anti-ICE protesters.
Good was shot in the face three times in her car while she and her wife were allegedly acting as legal witnesses to the ongoing protests against ICE, and the ruling prohibits ICE officers from detaining drivers and passengers in vehicles when there is no reasonable suspicion that they are obstructing or interfering.
Safely following agents ‘at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop,’ the ruling said.
Should the government use military force to control domestic protests, or does that cross a dangerous line?
Comment now Menendez said agents would not be allowed to arrest people without probable cause or reasonable suspicion the person has committed a crime or was obstructing or interfering with the activities of officers.
At the same time, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has mobilized the Minnesota National Guard to support the state patrol, reported CNN.
The Minnesota State Guard has yet to be deployed but is under orders from Walz to support state law enforcement.
ICE has been at the forefront of President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging immigration crackdown over the past year, as the Republican president has surged officers to Democratic-led US cities in a bid to drive up deportations.
The agency has faced particular scrutiny in the past week after an ICE officer in Minneapolis fatally shot Good, a US citizen and mother of three.
