Donald Trump Threatens Minnesota With Insurrection Act...

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell protests that disrupt federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota, a move that would enable the Republican to deploy troops, saying agents there are under attack. Fresh unrest erupted in Minneapolis on Wednesday night after a second person was shot by an ICE agent, who the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said had come under attack with a shovel and a broom handle, and there were clashes between protesters and law enforcement. The man shot was a Venezuelan national who the DHS said is in the U.S. illegally. It followed the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who was taking part in a protest against ICE operations and who drove towards an agent after another officer attempted to open the door of the vehicle. The Trump administration said the agent was acting in self-defense, but critics dispute that Good was intending to harm him. Using the Insurrection Act of 1807 to put troops on the ground in Minnesota would mark a serious escalation of the clash over the surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers into the state, a move strongly opposed by Democratic leaders there, who are fighting to have them removed. “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,“ Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Thursday morning. US President Donald Trump speaks to the press upon returning to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on January 13, 2026. ICE Surges Surging federal immigration agents into cities has been a key tactic of the second Trump administration's flagship mass deportation policy to reverse what it says are years of unchecked and unlawful entry into the U.S., threatening public safety and national security. They say ICE is coming under violent attack while carrying out a difficult job lawfully. But activists and Democratic politicians have sought to disrupt Trump's crackdown through protests, direct action, lawsuits, and preventing local cooperation with federal agents, whom they say are entering their communities uninvited and spreading fear among peaceful migrants with their heavy-handed approach. Walz 'Angry' After New ICE Shooting Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz appealed for calm following the latest shooting, but said he is “angry“. “State investigators have been on the scene in North Minneapolis. I know you’re angry. I’m angry,“ Walz posted to X on Wednesday. “What Donald Trump wants is violence in the streets. But Minnesota will remain an island of decency, of justice, of community, and of peace. Don’t give him what he wants.“ A legal effort spearheaded by Democratic officials from Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul to block ICE operations in Minnesota suffered a minor setback on Wednesday when a federal judge gave the Trump administration more time to respond. Local leaders say the government is violating free speech and other constitutional rights with the surge of law enforcement. U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez gave the U.S. Justice Department until Monday to file a response to a request for a restraining order. The judge is also handling a separate lawsuit challenging the tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal officers when they encounter protesters and observers. A decision could be released this week. During a televised speech before Wednesday's shooting, Walz described Minnesota as being in chaos, saying what's happening in the state “defies belief.” “Let’s be very, very clear, this long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement,” he said. “Instead, it’s a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.” 'Impossible Situation': Minneapolis Mayor Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described the situation as not “sustainable.” “This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order,” he said. Frey described a federal force that is five times as big as the city’s 600-officer police force and has “invaded” the city, scaring and angering residents, some of whom want the officers to “fight ICE agents.” This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.