President Donald Trump has warned that he may invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy US troops to Minnesota as violent clashes between protesters and federal agents escalate.
The threat comes after a second shooting involving a federal agent in Minneapolis, which has left the city in a state of high tension and civil unrest. The President accused local leaders of failing to protect federal officers from what he described as “professional agitators.”
The latest incident occurred Wednesday night when a federal agent reportedly shot and injured a man who allegedly assaulted him. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the officer was attacked with a snow shovel and a broom handle by bystanders after an initial struggle with a suspect. This follows the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent last week, an event that triggered nationwide demonstrations and a massive surge of federal enforcement into the Twin Cities.
Okay News understands that the Insurrection Act of 1807 allows the President to bypass the general prohibition on using the military for domestic law enforcement under extraordinary circumstances. While President Trump previously threatened to use the act during protests in Portland, it has not been officially invoked since the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Legal experts noted that such a move would signal a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the state government and the federal administration.
On the ground in Minneapolis, the situation remains volatile. Demonstrators and federal agents faced off overnight, with law enforcement deploying flashbangs, gas canisters, and pepper balls to disperse crowds. Vehicles were vandalized with anti-ICE slogans, and local residents have been urged by city leaders to remain calm as the “unsustainable” tension continues to grip the metropolitan area.
Meanwhile, a legal battle over the federal crackdown is unfolding in the courts. A federal judge recently declined to issue a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed by the State of Minnesota and the Twin Cities, which alleges that federal agents are conducting warrantless arrests and using excessive force.
Although the judge denied the immediate request to halt operations, she clarified that the decision was not a final judgment on the merits of the case.
