Unrest has gripped Minneapolis since an ICE agent fatally shot a woman identified as Renee Good during an enforcement operation on January 7.
Anger surged further after a federal officer shot a Venezuelan man in the leg on Wednesday (January 16) while attempting to detain him. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the officer acted in self-defence after being attacked with a shovel and broom handle, as per news agency Reuters.President Trump, in a social media post, said: “If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of ICE, who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT.”
What is the Insurrection Act?
The Insurrection Act of 1807 allows a US president to deploy the military or federalise the National Guard for domestic law enforcement under specific conditions.
It serves as an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act, which generally bars the military from civilian policing. The law has been invoked around 30 times in US history, most recently during the Los Angeles riots 1992, as per Reuters.
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Courts traditionally grant presidents wide discretion under the Act, though its use remains controversial due to concerns over civil liberties.
What has Trump said about Insurrection Act
In October 2025, Trump had said that he was considering invoking the Insurrection Act as a manner to “get around” the court rulings that blocked his efforts to deploy the National Guard across several US cities.”We have an Insurrection Act for a reason,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “If people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure, I’d do that,” he added, as per Reuters.
During his first presidential term, following the protests after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed by police forces while taking him into custody, Trump had suggested he would use the Insurrection Act to quell unrest but did not do so.
Protests, arrests and rising tensions in Minnesota
Nearly 3,000 federal officers have been deployed to the Minneapolis area, many wearing camouflage gear and masks, Reuters reported.
Residents have responded with sustained protests, including chanting, whistle-blowing and, at times, clashes with officers using tear gas and flash-bang grenades.
News agency The Associated Press (AP) also reported smoke-filled streets and fireworks being thrown as police declared unlawful assemblies.
DHS has said more than 2,000 arrests have been made in Minnesota since early December. State and city leaders, however, accuse the federal government of violating constitutional rights.
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Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told AP the situation was not “sustainable”, while Governor Tim Walz described events as a “campaign of organised brutality”.
Divided public opinion
Trump’s approach has split even Republican voters. A Reuters/Ipsos survey found that 59% of Republicans support prioritising immigration arrests even if people are harmed, while 39% believe officers should avoid harm even if it reduces arrests.
As protests continue and legal challenges unfold, Minnesota remains at the centre of a growing national debate over immigration enforcement and executive power.
