The Department of Defense has directed around 1,500 active-duty soldiers to be prepared for potential deployment to Minnesota in response to ongoing federal immigration enforcement operations, according to two senior defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The troops assigned to be on alert are from two infantry battalions of the U.S. Army's 11th Airborne Division, a unit based in Alaska with specialized training focused on arctic warfare and environments.
One official explained that these soldiers have been instructed to maintain readiness to deploy if the President activates the 1807 Insurrection Act, a statute that permits the use of active duty military personnel in law enforcement roles under certain circumstances. This provision has historically been seldom used, making it a significant step.
The announcement arrives shortly after President Donald Trump publicly indicated his intention to invoke this law to manage protests related to his administration’s aggressive stance on immigration enforcement. On social media, the President warned that he could activate the Insurrection Act “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.”
Subsequently, the President appeared to temper the threat, stating at a White House press briefing that there was no current need to employ the act but affirmed its potency, saying, “If I needed it, I’d use it. It’s very powerful.”
According to Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, while he did not explicitly confirm the deployment orders, he emphasized that the military remains prepared to execute any directives from the Commander-in-Chief as required.
During his two terms, the President has repeatedly threatened to apply the Insurrection Act, including consideration for deploying forces during the 2020 demonstrations following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and for more recent immigration-related protests.
This law was last utilized by President George H.W. Bush in 1992 to quell disturbances in Los Angeles after the acquittal of officers accused of assaulting Rodney King.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat and vocal critic of the President, has called on federal authorities to avoid escalating the situation by deploying troops, appealing for a reduction in tensions. He urged the President through social media to “turn the temperature down” and desist from what he described as a “campaign of retribution,” stating this approach does not reflect the state’s values.