Donald Trump is once again reaching for the biggest hammer in the federal toolbox.
As Minneapolis simmers under days of protest and police smoke, the former president has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a move that would allow him to deploy U.S. troops on American streets, this time over resistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “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 many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State. Thank you for you attention to this matter! President DJT”
The threat comes as tensions exploded following another shooting involving federal officers. The Department of Homeland Security said a federal agent shot a Venezuelan man in the leg after he allegedly ran from a traffic stop and attacked the officer. The incident immediately reignited outrage already burning from a killing just days earlier.
As we previously reported, just last week, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, setting off protests, vigils, and marches that have stretched from Minneapolis neighborhoods to national stages. For Trump, the unrest has become both a talking point and a justification.
On the streets, demonstrators have faced tear gas and flash bangs, while some protesters have responded with fireworks aimed at federal lines.
The visuals have played perfectly into Trump’s narrative of disorder and defiance. From his corner, Trump and senior allies have framed the situation as a fight against what they call “corruption”, language they’ve linked to the local Somali population, remarks that have drawn fierce backlash and accusations of racial targeting.
Still, Trump has doubled down, casting ICE as heroes under siege and positioning himself as the strongman willing to “restore order,” even if that means sending in the military.
Minnesota’s leadership sees it differently.
Gov. Tim Walz has called the federal presence an “occupation”, accusing agents of “kidnapping people for no reason.”
City officials say Trump’s posture is inflaming the situation rather than calming it, turning Minneapolis into a political proving ground.
We will continue to keep you updated as this story develops.