The tension in Minneapolis is rising, and now, the US military is waiting in the wings.
Around 1,500 US soldiers are on standby for potential deployment to the city, according to a US defence official speaking to CBS News. The troops, currently stationed in Alaska, could be mobilised if President Donald Trump decides to deploy active-duty military personnel amid ongoing anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests.
For now, officials stress that no final decision has been made.
The soldiers belong to the 11th Airborne Division at Fort Wainwright, and their possible deployment comes as demonstrations continued across Minneapolis on Saturday, following the fatal shooting of US citizen Renee Good by an ICE agent earlier this month.
Minnesota officials have urged protesters to remain peaceful and orderly, as emotions continue to run high in the city.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has strongly criticised the federal response. Speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation, he condemned President Trump’s threat to send more troops, arguing that the existing federal presence already feels overwhelming.
“The presence of federal ICE agents is already an occupying force that has quite literally invaded our city,” Frey said.
“You can use whatever rhetorical flourish you want, but when you have 3,000 ICE agents and border control officers in the city, and then this supposed threat of 1,500 military personnel, that’s exactly what it feels like.”
Last week, President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used law that would allow active-duty troops to carry out law enforcement duties within the United States.
Meanwhile, legal tensions have also intensified. A US federal judge has issued an order restricting the crowd-control tactics ICE agents may use against “peaceful and unobstructive” protesters in Minneapolis.
On Friday, Judge Katherine Menendez ruled that federal agents cannot arrest or pepper spray peaceful demonstrators, including those acting as legal observers monitoring ICE activity.
However, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem dismissed the ruling as unnecessary. Speaking on Face the Nation, she described the decision as “a little ridiculous”.
“We only use chemical agents when there’s violence happening,” Noem said. “The judge’s order didn’t change anything about how we’re operating, because it’s basically telling us to do what we’re already doing.”
At state level, Governor Tim Walz has placed the Minnesota National Guard on alert, with additional law enforcement officers deployed ahead of further demonstrations.
The latest wave of protests was triggered by widespread ICE activity in Minneapolis and follows the death of Renee Good on 7 January. City leaders say Good was acting as a legal observer at the time of the incident.
The Trump administration, however, has labelled her a “domestic terrorist”, a claim that has fuelled outrage nationwide.
Good’s death has sparked protests across the US, with demonstrators holding signs reading “Justice for Renee”, as calls for accountability continue to grow.
