US President Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a law that allows him to deploy federal troops and federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement purposes. The law is rarely used, but has been invoked by several presidents in the past, including President George H.W. Bush in 1992.
Trump's threat comes after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a Minneapolis man during a protest. The shooting occurred on Wednesday when federal officers stopped a driver from Venezuela who was in the US illegally, according to DHS. Three individuals emerged from a nearby apartment and attacked the officer, who fired a defensive shot to defend his life.
Trump directed his threat at Minnesota officials, accusing them of failing to control what he called "professional agitators and insurrectionists." He stated that if they don't obey the law and stop the protests, he will invoke the Insurrection Act and quickly put an end to the situation.
The Insurrection Act is a rarely used federal law that allows presidents to deploy the US military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement. The law has been invoked more than two dozen times throughout U.S. history, but its use is rare due to concerns about overreach and abuse of power.
Minnesota officials have criticized Trump's threat, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey describing the situation as "unprecedented" and Governor Tim Walz calling it a "campaign of organized brutality." Walz said that the federal presence in Minneapolis has overwhelmed his city and warned that further escalation would only deepen the crisis.
Federal immigration officers have made over 2,500 arrests in Minnesota since November 29th as part of an expanded immigration enforcement operation. However, concerns about federal involvement in local law enforcement have been building for months, particularly in Detroit, where residents and advocacy groups have organized protests and neighborhood alerts tied to ICE activity.
The events in Minneapolis have also sparked controversy, with video showing an ICE officer firing shots at a vehicle driven by Renee Good, who was killed last week. The incident has highlighted concerns about the use of force by federal immigration officers and the impact on local communities.
Trump's threat comes after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a Minneapolis man during a protest. The shooting occurred on Wednesday when federal officers stopped a driver from Venezuela who was in the US illegally, according to DHS. Three individuals emerged from a nearby apartment and attacked the officer, who fired a defensive shot to defend his life.
Trump directed his threat at Minnesota officials, accusing them of failing to control what he called "professional agitators and insurrectionists." He stated that if they don't obey the law and stop the protests, he will invoke the Insurrection Act and quickly put an end to the situation.
The Insurrection Act is a rarely used federal law that allows presidents to deploy the US military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement. The law has been invoked more than two dozen times throughout U.S. history, but its use is rare due to concerns about overreach and abuse of power.
Minnesota officials have criticized Trump's threat, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey describing the situation as "unprecedented" and Governor Tim Walz calling it a "campaign of organized brutality." Walz said that the federal presence in Minneapolis has overwhelmed his city and warned that further escalation would only deepen the crisis.
Federal immigration officers have made over 2,500 arrests in Minnesota since November 29th as part of an expanded immigration enforcement operation. However, concerns about federal involvement in local law enforcement have been building for months, particularly in Detroit, where residents and advocacy groups have organized protests and neighborhood alerts tied to ICE activity.
The events in Minneapolis have also sparked controversy, with video showing an ICE officer firing shots at a vehicle driven by Renee Good, who was killed last week. The incident has highlighted concerns about the use of force by federal immigration officers and the impact on local communities.
. I mean, can you imagine if he actually does it? It would be a huge overreach of power and could lead to some serious problems in the US. The fact that Minnesota officials are already saying it's "unprecedented" and that Governor Walz is warning about further escalation just shows how tense things are right now 
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i mean i'm all for keeping the country safe but deploying troops just seems like a huge overreach... like what even is the point of having troops in a city that's already got the national guard? 
and what's with all these protests about immigration enforcement? my grandma came to america as an immigrant and she never had any issues... i guess it depends on where u are in the country, right? 
anyway, i'm more worried about the fact that ICE is making all these arrests and using force against people who are just trying to protest... shouldn't they be protecting us or something? 
this is getting super weird 
meanwhile, the real issue here is that the US has been using immigration enforcement as a way to quell protests and it's not working 
they're just making things worse 
instead of talking to these communities and finding a solution, trump's all like "let me be the boss" 
newsflash: this isn't how you handle social unrest 
anyone who thought deploying troops was a good idea needs to take a seat 
Newsflash: deploying troops won't calm people down, it'll only escalate things 
And what's with this "professional agitators and insurrectionists" nonsense? Are they even talking about the real issue here - the militarization of police forces? 
, i mean, minnesota officials are totally right to be worried about the federal presence in their city, especially with all these arrests happening since november... 2500 people detained? that's just crazy