President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used federal law that would allow him to deploy U.S. military forces domestically, in response to growing protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota over federal immigration enforcement actions.
The president’s warning came as demonstrations intensified following a series of confrontations between local residents and federal immigration agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has surged personnel into the city as part of a broader immigration crackdown.
In a message posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said that if Minnesota officials failed to “stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E.,” he would “institute the Insurrection Act … and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State.”
The latest flare-up followed a violent encounter on Wednesday in which a federal officer shot and wounded a Minneapolis man during an attempted arrest after the officer was attacked, according to the Department of Homeland Security. That incident occurred about a week after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, 37, a Minnesota woman whose death sparked widespread outrage and protest.
The Insurrection Act of 1807 gives the president authority to deploy active-duty troops or federalize the National Guard to suppress insurrection, domestic violence or rebellions when state authorities are unable or unwilling to maintain order. It was most recently used in 1992 to quell riots in Los Angeles.
The president’s threat has drawn sharp reactions from state and local officials. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have both condemned the federal response, calling the deployment of thousands of federal officers an overreach that has escalated tensions rather than restored peace. Frey has described the federal presence as an “invasion” that has frightened residents, while Walz has argued that local authorities should lead policing efforts.
Despite state objections, the Department of Homeland Security says it has made more than 2,000 arrests in Minnesota since early December as part of the enforcement operation.
Public reaction to Trump’s threat is sharply divided. Supporters argue the move is necessary to uphold law and order and protect federal agents, while critics warn that using military force against U.S. citizens exercising their right to protest could escalate violence and raise serious constitutional concerns.
As of Thursday, it remained unclear whether Trump would formally invoke the Insurrection Act, a step that legal experts say could trigger legal challenges and further deepen political polarization nationwide.