Federal agents stand guard outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility during protests against ICE following the shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Good by a U.S. immigration officer in Minneapolis, U.S., January 8, 2026.
Mostafa Basim | Anadolu | Getty Images
The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers in Alaska to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, where large protests against government deportations have been taking place, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Sunday.
Officials said the military had ordered units to prepare for deployment in case violence escalated in the Midwestern state, but it was unclear whether any units would be deployed.
President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to use the Insurrection Act to send in the military if state officials don’t stop protesters from targeting immigration officials following a surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
However, it is unclear whether the Trump administration will invoke the Insurrection Act if troops are deployed. Even without invoking the law, presidents can send active-duty troops for certain domestic purposes, such as protecting federal property, which Trump cited as a justification for sending Marines to Los Angeles last year.
In addition to active-duty troops, the Pentagon could also seek to deploy new National Guard Rapid Response Forces to combat civil unrest.
The Pentagon and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters on the order, which was first reported by ABC News.
Threats by military following surge in immigration personnel
“I will enact the Insurrection Act if Minnesota’s corrupt politicians will stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from not following the law and attacking ICE patriots who are just trying to do their job,” Trump posted on his Truth social platform.
The soldiers targeted for deployment specialize in cold-weather operations and are assigned to two U.S. Army infantry battalions under the Alaska-based 11th Airborne Division, officials said.
Tensions between residents and federal agents have grown increasingly tense after ICE agents shot and killed Renee Good, an American citizen and mother of three, as she tried to drive away after being ordered to exit her car in Minneapolis, Minnesota’s most populous city, on January 7.
Republican President Trump has sent about 3,000 federal agents from ICE and Border Patrol to Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul since early last week as part of a series of interventions, primarily in cities run by Democratic politicians.
He said the deployment of troops to Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Memphis and Portland, Oregon, is necessary to fight crime and protect federal property and personnel from protesters. But this month, he said he would remove the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, where they have faced legal setbacks and challenges.
Local leaders have accused the president of federal overreach and exaggerating isolated acts of violence to justify sending in troops.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whose Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation, has activated the National Guard to assist local law enforcement and emergency management agencies, the state Department of Public Safety said Saturday on X.
President Trump has repeatedly cited the scandal surrounding the theft of federal funds meant for social welfare programs in Minnesota as a rationale for sending immigration officials. The president and government officials singled out Somali immigrant communities in the state.
The Insurrection Act is a federal law that gives the president the authority to send troops into the United States and organize the National Guard to suppress domestic rebellions.
