Pentagon Mobilizes 1,500 Troops for Minnesota Protest Response
The Pentagon has issued orders for approximately 1,500 active-duty soldiers to stand ready for potential deployment in response to protests occurring in Minnesota.
The killing of an innocent woman by immigration agents in Minnesota has ignited a wave of protests. In response, Trump announced his intention to invoke the Insurrection Act.
Last week, Trump announced plans to deploy military personnel to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in fulfilling their duties.
The Washington Post reported on Saturday that U.S. Defense Department officials indicated the Pentagon has moved to ready certain troops for potential deployment to Minnesota following Trump’s warning.
In a social media post on Thursday, Trump issued a warning, indicating the potential use of the centuries-old Insurrection Act to take decisive action against protesters in Minnesota.
Trump issued a statement on his Truth Social platform, asserting that if Minnesota’s politicians, whom he labeled as corrupt, fail to uphold the law and prevent what he described as professional agitators and insurrectionists from targeting ICE personnel, he would enact the Insurrection Act. According to Trump, ICE personnel are simply performing their duties.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted that the decision to deploy troops to Minnesota rests solely in the hands of Trump, identifying him as the only U.S. official empowered to make such a determination.
In spite of freezing temperatures, demonstrators have persistently held daily rallies, condemning the violence and the large deployment of federal agents in the area. They view it as an act of intimidation against US society rather than a genuine law enforcement operation.
In an 83-page decision made public on Friday, US District Judge Katherine Menendez granted an injunction, instructing federal agents nationwide that they are prohibited from arresting or taking retaliatory actions against peaceful demonstrators. The ruling also bans the use of “pepper-spray or similar nonlethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools” against these individuals.
The ruling was issued amidst a period of widespread protests and heightened political tension in Minneapolis, Minnesota’s largest city, following two recent incidents involving federal immigration agents. These incidents included the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, 37, by an agent from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to experts, Judge Menendez’s decision highlights a rare instance of judicial restraint against federal overreach and emphasizes the ongoing tensions among various factions within American society.
