Pentagon puts 1,500 troops on ICE‑protest standby as DOJ faces Minnesota lawsuit deadline
The Pentagon put 1,500 troops — two Alaska-based Army infantry battalions — on prepare-to-deploy standby for possible deployment to Minnesota amid protests over an ICE surge, positioned in case former President Trump invokes the Insurrection Act. The Justice Department must file its response to Minnesota/Minneapolis/St. Paul’s lawsuit by Jan. 19 (plaintiffs’ rebuttal due Jan. 22), and Minnesota AG Keith Ellison has shifted from seeking a temporary restraining order to a preliminary injunction citing escalating harms, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has accused state and city leaders of “protecting criminals,” framing opposition as political retribution.
📌 Key Facts
- The DOJ must file its response to Minnesota/Minneapolis/St. Paul’s lawsuit over the ICE surge by Monday, Jan. 19, 2026; the plaintiffs’ rebuttal is due Jan. 22, 2026.
- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has shifted from seeking a temporary restraining order to pursuing a preliminary injunction, citing escalating harms from the ICE surge.
- The Pentagon has placed 1,500 soldiers on a prepare‑to‑deploy standby related to ICE‑protest contingencies.
- That prepare‑to‑deploy order involves two Army infantry battalions based in Alaska, positioned specifically in case the president invokes the Insurrection Act in Minnesota.
- Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has accused state and city leaders of “protecting criminals,” characterizing their actions as political retribution rather than public‑safety measures.
📊 Relevant Data
Somali immigrants in Minnesota commit crimes at a rate two to five times higher than natives when comparing apples-to-apples statistics.
Yes, Somali Immigrants Commit More Crime Than Natives — City Journal
About 39 percent of working-age Somalis in Minnesota have no high school diploma, and one in eight children in poverty in the state lives in a Somali immigrant home.
Somali Immigrants in Minnesota — Center for Immigration Studies
Immigrant-owned businesses in Minnesota are closing or reducing hours due to staff shortages from ICE enforcement actions.
Minnesota business owners feeling the effects of ICE enforcement actions — MPR News
Schools in the Twin Cities Metro area are experiencing a rise in absenteeism due to ICE operations.
ICE operations in Minnesota: What they mean for Minnesota schools — FOX 9
Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota was initiated to target criminal illegal aliens, including members of gangs like Tren de Aragua, resulting in over 400 arrests since December 2025.
ICE Arrests the Worst of the Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens Including Pedophiles, Rapists and Violent Thugs — Department of Homeland Security
Somali Minnesotans generate at least $500 million in income annually and pay about $67 million in state and local taxes.
Somali Minnesotans drive economic growth, pay $67M taxes annually — KSTP
Minnesota's resettlement policies since the 1990s have made it a primary destination for Somali refugees, leading to the largest Somali community in the U.S. with over 80,000 ethnic Somalis.
How Minnesota became the center of the Somali diaspora — Sahan Journal
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- 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.