Pentagon Readies 1,500 Troops for Minnesota

The Pentagon has called on about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for possible deployment to Minnesota on Sunday, where large-scale protests have erupted against the government’s immigration crackdown, according to a new report.

The army allegedly issued the prepare-to-deploy orders in case the violent clashes escalate, the latest warning from the government against the demonstrators, the Washington Post reported.

The orders were given to two US Army infantry battalions under the 11th Airborne Division, which is based in Alaska and has troops who specialize in cold-weather operations.

The orders come after President Trump threatened to use the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces to Minnesota if state officials fail to stop protesters from targeting the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents flooding the state.

In response to the order for troops to be ready, the White House said that it was not unusual for the Pentagon “to be prepared for any decision the President may or may not make,” according to the WaPo.

Tensions between Minnesotans and the federal government surged following heated protests in Minneapolis after ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good, a US citizen and mother of three, on Jan. 7 as she was driving away after being ordered to exit her car.

Since then, the president has deployed nearly 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents to Minneapolis and neighboring cities.

Trump has maintained that the mass deployment of immigration agents to Democrat run cities are necessary to combat crime.

In Minnesota’s case, Trump has repeatedly invoked the multi-million dollar fraud scandal surrounding the state’s social-welfare programs.

Opponents, however, have accused Trump of federal overreach and attempting to crackdown on his opponents through the use of immigration officers.

Following Trump’s threats, Gov. Tim Walz mobilized the state’s National Guard to “support local law enforcement and emergency management agencies,” according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

While the guard is not deployed just yet, the troops “are ready to help support public safety, including protection of life, preservation of property and supporting the rights of all who assemble peacefully,” the department said in a statement.