The Pentagon has placed about 1,500 service members on heightened alert amid the possibility of deployment to Minnesota after Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests sparked by the killing of local resident Renee Good by an immigration enforcement officer. The reports came from Reuters, CBS News, and The Washington Post, citing sources.
According to The Washington Post, the forces involved are personnel from two infantry battalions of the 11th Airborne Division, based in Alaska. A Reuters source said the units have been placed on standby for possible deployment in the event of an escalation of violence, though no decision has yet been made to send troops to Minnesota.
The White House stressed that it is standard practice for the Pentagon to prepare in advance for any course of action the president may—or may not—ultimately choose.
On January 15, Trump said he was prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act if Minnesota authorities failed to stop protesters from “attacking” immigration enforcement officers. He added that he would “quickly put an end to the disgrace unfolding in what was once a great state.” The following day, Trump said there were “no grounds right now” to apply the law, but stressed: “If I need it, I will use it.”
Reuters notes that even if troops are deployed, it remains unclear whether the Insurrection Act would be formally activated. At the same time, the agency points out that the president retains the authority to use military units for certain domestic tasks without invoking the law—including the protection of federal property.
The protests were triggered by an incident on January 7, when a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. Her car was stopped across the road, blocking the path of an unmarked ICE pickup truck. Donald Trump later said he had watched video footage of the incident and saw the driver behaving “extremely aggressively,” obstructing ICE officers, before “deliberately ramming” one of them. Following Renee Good’s death, protests against the actions of the immigration service erupted across Minnesota.