Hundreds more active-duty soldiers have been ordered to prepare for possible deployment in Minnesota, amid ongoing tensions and concerns that President Donald Trump may invoke the Insurrection Act to suppress anti-immigration enforcement protests. The Pentagon has instructed members of an Army military police brigade based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to be on standby, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The report follows earlier indications that roughly 1,500 active-duty soldiers from two infantry battalions of the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, based in Alaska and trained for cold-weather operations, were preparing for possible deployment in Minneapolis and other Minnesota cities. ABC News first reported the move, which was subsequently confirmed by defense officials.
President Trump has repeatedly suggested deploying active-duty military against American civilians after demonstrations escalated following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. Trump has labelled protesters “professional agitators and insurrectionists” and accused state officials of being “corrupt politicians”. The Department of Justice is also investigating allegations of obstruction, which critics have described as spurious.
The Insurrection Act, a rarely invoked 19th-century law, allows the president to deploy active-duty troops and federalise National Guard units to occupy a state or city. It was last used by President George H.W. Bush in 1992 to suppress the Los Angeles riots after the acquittal of four police officers in the beating of Rodney King.
Pentagon officials have stated that placing troops on alert is simply “prudent planning”. Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell told The Independent, “The Department of War is always prepared to execute the orders of the Commander-in-Chief if called upon.” A Pentagon spokesperson added, “We have nothing to announce at this time, and any tip about this is pre-decisional.”
