Army puts 1,500 soldiers on standby for possible Minnesota deployment, AP sources say

Pentagon Orders 1,500 Soldiers to Prepare for Possible Minnesota Deployment

The Pentagon has ordered approximately 1,500 active duty soldiers to prepare for potential deployment to Minnesota, where federal authorities are conducting a major immigration enforcement operation, according to two defense officials speaking on condition of anonymity.

Two infantry battalions from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, specialized in arctic operations and based in Alaska, have received prepare-to-deploy orders. One official confirmed the troops are standing by should President Donald Trump invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used 19th century law that would allow him to employ active duty troops in a law enforcement capacity.

The military preparations come just days after Trump threatened to use the 1807 law to quell protests against his administration’s immigration crackdown. In a social media post on Thursday, Trump stated he would invoke the act “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.”

Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell, in an emailed statement, did not deny the orders had been issued, saying only that the military “is always prepared to execute the orders of the Commander-in-Chief if called upon.”

Trump appeared to moderate his stance on Friday, telling reporters at the White House there wasn’t a reason to use the act “right now,” though he added, “If I needed it, I’d use it. It’s very powerful.”

The situation in Minnesota has become increasingly tense as federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conduct operations that have sparked protests. Demonstrators have gathered outside federal buildings, including the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where law enforcement has detained several protesters.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat who has frequently clashed with Trump, has publicly urged the president not to send in more troops. “I’m making a direct appeal to the President: Let’s turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are,” Walz said last week on social media.

The potential deployment marks another instance of Trump threatening to use the Insurrection Act during his presidency. He previously mentioned invoking it during the 2020 protests following George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police officers and has more recently suggested using it to address immigration-related demonstrations.

The Insurrection Act grants the president authority to deploy military forces within the United States under specific circumstances, including civil disorder, insurrection, or rebellion. The law has been used sparingly throughout American history, with the most recent application in 1992 when President George H.W. Bush sent federal troops to Los Angeles to quell unrest following the acquittal of four white police officers in the beating of Rodney King.

Legal experts have noted that invoking the act in response to protests against immigration enforcement would represent an extraordinary and potentially controversial use of presidential power. Civil liberties organizations have already expressed concerns about the potential deployment of military personnel in a domestic law enforcement role.

The Pentagon’s readiness orders highlight the growing tension between federal immigration policies and local responses to those policies. Minnesota has become a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, with community activists arguing that aggressive ICE operations are disrupting communities and separating families.

As the situation develops, both federal and state officials continue to monitor the protests while preparing for potential escalation.