President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act as protests continued in Minneapolis over federal immigration enforcement actions, escalating tensions between the White House and local officials.
In a post on social media, Trump said he would consider using the centuries-old law — which allows the president to deploy U.S. military forces domestically — if Minnesota officials fail to “obey the law” and stop what he described as “professional agitators and insurrectionists” targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Trump said invoking the act would “quickly put an end” to what he called a breakdown of order in the state.
The threat followed renewed unrest after a federal officer shot a man in the leg during an enforcement operation in north Minneapolis earlier this week. The incident came just days after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, intensifying anger toward federal authorities and prompting demonstrations near the site of the operations.
At a news conference at Minneapolis City Hall on Wednesday night, Police Chief Brian O’Hara said some protesters were engaging in unlawful behavior and urged those gathered at the scene to disperse. Mayor Jacob Frey criticized the actions of federal immigration agents, calling some of their conduct “disgusting and intolerable,” but also appealed for calm.
“We cannot counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own brand of chaos,” Frey said, urging residents to go home and avoid confrontations with federal forces.
Trump’s remarks revived debate over the Insurrection Act, a rarely used statute that grants the president broad authority to deploy the military during domestic unrest. Its possible use has raised concerns among civil liberties advocates and Democratic officials, who argue that deploying troops could further inflame tensions rather than restore order.
