1. What is President Trump threatening to do in Minnesota and why?
Mr. Trump warned Thursday that he would invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy the military in Minnesota if protesters continue to attack federal agents carrying out immigration raids. He blamed Minnesota’s political leaders for allowing the escalation of violence against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, calling the protesters “professional agitators and insurrections” in a Truth Social post.
2. What is the Insurrection Act and how often has it been used?
The Insurrection Act is an 1807 law that allows a president to deploy the military to suppress rebellions or enforce federal law, granting authority to federalize the National Guard and deploy active duty forces to restore order. In the 250-year history of the U.S., it has only been invoked 30 times — most recently by President George H.W. Bush during the 1992 Los Angeles riots — with the majority of uses coming during the civil rights movement under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.
3. What violent incidents prompted this threat?
Two recent shootings in Minneapolis involving ICE agents led to Mr. Trump’s warning: on Wednesday, an ICE agent shot a Venezuelan migrant in the leg after being ambushed and attacked with a shovel and broom handle, and last week an ICE agent fatally shot Nicole Good when she allegedly drove her car at an agent during an enforcement operation. DHS reports that federal law enforcement officers are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults as the agency has made 2,000 arrests in Minnesota since December.
SEE ALSO: Trump threatens to use the Insurrection Act to ‘put an end’ to protests in Minneapolis
4. How have Minnesota officials responded to the federal immigration operations?
Minnesota officials blamed the violence on Mr. Trump’s deployment of ICE to Minneapolis, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey calling the situation “not sustainable” and “an impossible situation.” In a rare prime-time address, Gov. Tim Walz compared federal agents carrying out operations to a military “occupation” and said the federal government is “raining down” chaos, disruption, and trauma on Minnesota communities.
5. What would invoking the Insurrection Act allow Trump to do?
Invoking the Insurrection Act would temporarily override the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts the use of the military for domestic law enforcement, allowing Mr. Trump to deploy active duty military forces and federalize the National Guard to restore order in Minnesota. This would give the president direct authority to use military personnel to suppress what he characterizes as attacks on federal immigration agents.
Read more: Trump threatens to use the Insurrection Act to ’put an end’ to protests in Minneapolis
This article is written with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence based solely on Washington Times original reporting and wire services. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
