Army puts MP units on Minneapolis standby as Pentagon readies possible deployment
The Pentagon has issued prepare‑to‑deploy orders affecting roughly 1,500 troops — including two Alaska‑based infantry battalions and specific Army military police units — placing commanders into 48–72‑hour readiness windows focused on a possible Minneapolis mission. The moves are contingency planning tied to the potential invocation of the Insurrection Act amid tensions over an ICE surge and related litigation (DOJ’s response to Minnesota’s suit is due Jan. 19, with plaintiffs’ rebuttal due Jan. 22); no deployment has been ordered.
📌 Key Facts
- The Pentagon issued formal 'prepare to deploy' orders for roughly 1,500 soldiers as a contingency for a possible Minneapolis deployment; initial reporting described two Army infantry battalions in Alaska while later reporting identified specific military police units as the forces placed on alert.
- Commanders moved the alerted units into 48- to 72-hour readiness windows focused on Minneapolis; no federal deployment has been ordered yet.
- The prepare-to-deploy orders were framed explicitly as contingency planning in case President Trump invokes the Insurrection Act in response to ICE-related unrest tied to the ICE surge in Minneapolis.
- The Justice Department must file its response to Minnesota/Minneapolis/St. Paul’s lawsuit over the ICE surge by Monday, Jan. 19, with the plaintiffs’ rebuttal due Jan. 22.
- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison shifted his legal request from seeking a temporary restraining order to pursuing a preliminary injunction, citing escalating harms from the surge.
- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem publicly accused state and city leaders of 'protecting criminals,' framing the federal action as political retribution rather than strictly a public-safety measure.
📊 Relevant Data
Undocumented immigrants in the US have a property crime arrest rate of 38.5 per 100,000 compared to 165.2 per 100,000 for U.S.-born citizens.
Undocumented Immigrant Offending Rate Lower Than U.S.-Born Citizens — House.gov (Congressional Hearing Document)
Venezuelan immigrants commit substantially fewer crimes than the native-born population in host countries, based on 2019 data analysis.
Venezuelan Migration, Crime, and Misperceptions — Brookings Institution
Undocumented immigrants in Minnesota contributed $222 million in state and local taxes in 2022.
Undocumented immigrants contribute $222 million in Minnesota taxes — Minnesota Budget Project
The ICE Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota is linked to ongoing fraud investigations in public programs, where the majority of those charged are Somali.
Report: ICE headed to Twin Cities targeting Somali immigrants — News from the States
Protests against ICE's Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis have led to business struggles, plans for a general strike, and clashes between protesters and counter-protesters.
Protests continue across Minnesota over ICE's Operation Metro Surge — KIMT
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- AP, citing a Defense official, reports the Army has issued a formal 'prepare to deploy' order to specific military police units for potential use in Minneapolis, not just generic cold‑weather infantry.
- The alert order is framed explicitly as contingency planning in case President Trump invokes the Insurrection Act in response to ICE‑related unrest in Minneapolis.
- The article underscores that no deployment is yet ordered, but commanders are moving into 48‑ to 72‑hour readiness windows focused on Minneapolis, not just a broad 'Midwest' theater.
- Confirms DOJ must file its response to Minnesota/Minneapolis/St. Paul’s ICE‑surge lawsuit by Monday, Jan. 19, and that plaintiffs’ rebuttal is due Jan. 22.
- Clarifies that Attorney General Keith Ellison has shifted from seeking a temporary restraining order to a preliminary injunction, citing escalating harms from the surge.
- Spells out that the 1,500‑soldier prepare‑to‑deploy order involves two Army infantry battalions in Alaska, positioned specifically in case Trump invokes the Insurrection Act in Minnesota.
- Reiterates DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s line of attack — accusing state and city leaders of "protecting criminals" — framing this as political retribution, not public safety.