President Donald Trump has indicated a willingness to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy federal forces to Minnesota, asserting that state authorities must cease the ongoing protests targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities in Minneapolis. Trump directed his remarks toward what he characterized as "professional agitators and insurrectionists," while also critiquing Minnesota's political leadership for allegedly failing to ensure the safety of ICE agents carrying out their official duties.
In a statement posted on Truth Social on Thursday, January 15, the President declared, “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 trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which amany Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State.”
This declaration from the President comes in the wake of several incidents of violence involving federal immigration officers within Minneapolis. The previous week saw an ICE officer fatally shoot a protester named Renee Good. On Wednesday night, another man was injured by a federal agent during an attempted arrest.
The Department of Homeland Security reported that the injured individual sustained a gunshot wound to the leg after reportedly resisting apprehension. The agency further stated that during the altercation, two people emerged from a nearby residence and assaulted the officer with a snow shovel and a broomstick, which prompted the officer to discharge his weapon in what the DHS described as a "defensive shot" taken out of concern for his life.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have publicly denounced the presence of federal agents in their city, arguing that ICE's operations are exacerbating existing tensions. Following both reported shootings, state and local officials reiterated their demands for federal immigration personnel to withdraw from Minneapolis.
A statement released by the City of Minneapolis asserted, “The City of Minneapolis again demands that ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand by our immigrant and refugee communities and affirm our full support.”
The Insurrection Act, originally established in 1807, empowers the U.S. President to mobilize military forces and federalize National Guard units domestically to quell insurrections, quell civil unrest, or enforce federal law under extraordinary circumstances. This legislation provides an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act, which generally restricts the military's involvement in domestic law enforcement capacities.
Though often mistakenly equated with martial law, the Insurrection Act empowers the military to support civilian authorities rather than supersede them completely.
Historically, the act has been invoked approximately 30 times. Its most recent application occurred in 1992 when President George H.W. Bush deployed federal troops to Los Angeles to restore order amid riots that followed the acquittal of police officers involved in the severe beating of Rodney King. Earlier instances of its use were prevalent during the civil rights era, when presidents dispatched troops to enforce court-ordered school desegregation.
President Trump had previously threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in 2020 amidst widespread protests following the death of George Floyd, and again in 2025 during protests in Los Angeles concerning ICE activities.
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