Army orders military police to get ready for a possible Minneapolis deployment, AP source says

U.S. Army Prepares Troops for Possible Deployment to Minneapolis Amid Immigration Protests

The U.S. Army has placed several dozen additional active-duty soldiers on standby for potential deployment to Minneapolis, a defense official confirmed Wednesday. The order comes as the city continues to experience protests following the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement operations.

According to the defense official, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the plans, members of an Army military police brigade stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina have received prepare-to-deploy orders. If mobilized, these troops would likely provide support to civil authorities in Minneapolis, though the official emphasized that such standby orders are routine and don’t necessarily indicate an imminent deployment.

Approximately 1,500 active-duty soldiers from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division based in Alaska have also received similar standby instructions. The preparations follow President Donald Trump’s recent suggestion that he might invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely utilized 19th-century law that would authorize him to deploy active-duty military personnel in a domestic law enforcement capacity.

The unrest in Minneapolis erupted after a federal immigration officer fatally shot local resident Renee Good on January 7. While Trump initially threatened to use the Insurrection Act in response to the protests, he appeared to step back from that position shortly afterward, telling reporters: “If I needed it, I’d use it. It’s very powerful.” He added that there wasn’t a reason to implement the act “right now.”

When questioned about these latest deployment preparations, which were initially reported by MS Now, Pentagon officials declined to comment, stating they had no information to provide at this time.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat who has frequently clashed with Trump, has urged restraint from the federal government. In a statement Tuesday, Walz invited the president to visit Minnesota to “help restore calm and order and reaffirm that true public safety comes from shared purpose, trust, and respect,” clearly preferring a diplomatic approach over military intervention.

This situation reflects a broader pattern in Trump’s second term, where he has pushed traditional boundaries by deploying federal troops to American cities, often against the wishes of local officials. These deployments have typically occurred during federal operations targeting illegal immigration and urban crime.

Last June, Trump deployed federalized National Guard troops to Los Angeles after immigration arrest operations triggered street protests. The operation ultimately involved approximately 4,000 Guard members and 700 active-duty Marines, who were tasked with protecting federal buildings and providing security for federal agents conducting immigration enforcement activities.

The president has pursued similar strategies in other urban centers, including Chicago and Portland, Oregon. However, these efforts have faced significant legal challenges, prompting Trump to announce in December that he was temporarily suspending such deployments.

The potential deployment to Minneapolis represents the latest chapter in the ongoing tension between federal immigration policies and local governance. It highlights the administration’s willingness to consider military solutions to civil unrest, particularly when related to immigration enforcement actions.

The situation remains fluid, with both local officials and federal authorities closely monitoring developments in Minneapolis. As protests continue, the question of whether active-duty military personnel will be deployed to American streets once again hangs in the balance, raising significant questions about federalism, appropriate use of military resources, and civil liberties.