Trump threatens Insurrection Act, military deployment in Minnesota amid Minneapolis ICE unrest
President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy federal troops to Minnesota amid protests in Minneapolis against ICE and the federal "Operation Metro Surge" following two recent federal shootings, including the killing of Renee Nicole Good. He characterized protesters as "insurrectionists" and said state and local leaders had "lost control," framing that claim and Minnesota leaders' resistance to the surge as justification for possible military intervention.
📌 Key Facts
- Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and potentially deploy federal troops in Minnesota, explicitly tying the threat to ongoing Minneapolis–St. Paul protests against ICE and Operation Metro Surge.
- The threat followed two federal shootings in Minneapolis within a week, including the killing of Renee Nicole Good.
- Trump labeled protesters as 'insurrectionists' and said state and local leaders had 'lost control,' presenting that claim as his justification for possible Insurrection Act deployment.
- He framed a potential federal troop deployment specifically as a response to Minnesota leaders’ resistance to the Operation Metro Surge, an escalation of his earlier rhetoric.
- Reporting from TwinCities and the Minnesota Reformer includes on‑the‑record comments from Trump tying the Insurrection Act threat directly to the Minneapolis protests and the recent shootings.
📊 Relevant Data
Venezuela's homicide rate was 26.8 per 100,000 people in 2023, significantly higher than the homicide rate among undocumented immigrants in the US, which is 3.25 per 100,000.
Donald Trump exaggerates Venezuelan crime drop and misleads ... — PolitiFact
The surge in Venezuelan migration to the US from 2020-2025 is primarily driven by economic downturn, political repression, crime, corruption, poverty, and hyperinflation in Venezuela.
Venezuelan refugee crisis - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
Minnesota's foreign-born population grew from 389,324 in 2012 to nearly 490,000 in 2023, comprising 8.6% of the state's total population, with immigration accounting for 94% of net population gains from 2020-2024.
The economic contributions of New Americans in Minnesota — Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
The Insurrection Act has historically been used to deploy federal troops during civil unrest, such as in the 1960s to enforce civil rights and suppress rebellions in Southern states during the Civil Rights Movement.
The Insurrection Act, Explained — Brennan Center for Justice
Venezuelan immigrants in the US commit substantially fewer crimes than native-born Americans, with no evidence of increased crime rates in host communities from 2019 data extended into recent years.
Venezuelan Migration, Crime, and Misperceptions — Migration Policy Institute
In Minnesota, immigrants, including undocumented ones, are less likely to commit crimes than US-born individuals, based on national and state-level data from 2023-2025.
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Reconfirms that Trump is now openly tying possible Insurrection Act use to Minneapolis–St. Paul protests over Operation Metro Surge and the Renee Good shooting, not just to generalized 'urban unrest.'
- Frames a potential deployment of federal troops specifically as a response to Minnesota leaders’ resistance to the surge, escalating the existing rhetoric reported earlier.
- Adds additional on‑the‑record language from Trump (in this Reformer piece) about viewing protesters as 'insurrectionists' and portraying state and city leadership as having 'lost control,' which would be his claimed justification for bringing in the military.
- Article details that Trump’s threat is explicitly tied to ongoing protests in Minneapolis against ICE and Operation Metro Surge.
- It clarifies that the threat follows two federal shootings in the city within a week, including the killing of Renee Nicole Good.
- The piece notes that Trump is framing protesters as 'insurrectionists' and claiming state and local leaders have lost control, using that as justification to float Insurrection Act deployment.