Trump Warns of Military Deployment as Minnesota Protests Over ICE Operations Intensify

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces in Minnesota following several days of escalating protests sparked by a surge in immigration enforcement activity in Minneapolis.

Tensions have risen after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] agent fatally shot a US citizen, Renee Good, in Minneapolis eight days ago. Confrontations between residents and federal officers have since intensified, with demonstrations spreading to other cities.

Trump’s warning came hours after another incident in which an immigration officer shot and wounded a Venezuelan man in the leg after authorities said he attempted to flee during a vehicle stop in Minneapolis.

“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 doing their job, I will invoke the INSURRECTION ACT,” Trump wrote on social media.

For weeks, Trump has sharply criticized Minnesota’s Democratic leadership and made derogatory remarks about residents of Somali origin in the state.

The administration has already deployed nearly 3,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis area. Armed and wearing military-style camouflage and face coverings, the officers have patrolled the city’s streets, where they have been met by loud and persistent protests from residents.

On Wednesday night, crowds gathered near the site where the Venezuelan man was shot. Federal officers used flash-bang grenades and tear gas to disperse demonstrators. After most protesters had left, a smaller group vandalized a vehicle believed to belong to federal officers, with one person spray-painting the message “Hang Kristi Noem,” referencing the Homeland Security secretary.

Since the expanded enforcement began, immigration agents have arrested both immigrants and protesters, at times breaking car windows and pulling people from vehicles. Residents have accused officers of stopping Black and Latino US citizens and demanding identification.

Federal and state officials have blamed each other for fueling unrest and violence.

One widely reported incident involved US citizen Aliya Rahman, who said masked immigration officers forcibly removed her from her car near the location of Good’s killing. Rahman said she told officers she was disabled, repeatedly requested medical attention, and later lost consciousness while in ICE custody before being taken to a hospital.

The Department of Homeland Security said Rahman was an “agitator” who ignored officers’ commands to move her vehicle away from an enforcement scene and was arrested for obstruction.

DHS identified the wounded Venezuelan man as Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who had entered the United States in 2022 under a humanitarian parole program during the Biden administration. The Trump administration has since revoked parole for Venezuelans and others admitted under that policy.

According to DHS, officers attempted to stop Sosa-Celis in his vehicle. He allegedly fled, crashed into a parked car, and ran on foot. During a struggle, two other Venezuelan men reportedly attacked an officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle. DHS said the officer fired in self-defense after being struck. Reuters was unable to independently verify the account.

All three men were arrested after officers entered a nearby apartment. DHS and city officials said both Sosa-Celis and the officer were hospitalized with injuries.

The Insurrection Act of 1807 allows a US president to deploy military forces or federalize National Guard troops to suppress rebellion, overriding restrictions on military involvement in civilian law enforcement. It has been invoked about 30 times in US history, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, and the Supreme Court has ruled that the president alone determines when its conditions are met.

Trump has previously federalized National Guard units for immigration enforcement in Democratic-led cities, including Los Angeles last year, a move a federal judge ruled unconstitutional in December.

Trump’s actions in Minnesota have split Republican opinion. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Thursday found that 59% of Republicans supported prioritizing immigration arrests even if people are harmed, while 39% said officers should avoid harming people even if that leads to fewer arrests.