• President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to deploy military forces to Minnesota unless state officials halt protesters targeting immigration enforcement officers
• The threat follows two federal agent-involved shootings in Minneapolis within seven days, including one fatal incident that sparked nationwide protests
• Nearly 3,000 federal agents have flooded the Twin Cities as part of Operation Metro Surge, outnumbering Minneapolis’ entire 600-officer police force

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (TDR) — President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Minnesota officials Thursday morning, threatening to invoke the rarely-used Insurrection Act if state leaders fail to stop protesters from confronting federal immigration enforcement agents conducting operations across the Twin Cities.

The presidential threat came hours after a federal officer shot a Venezuelan man in the leg Wednesday night during what the Department of Homeland Security described as an ambush by multiple attackers using a shovel and broom handle. The incident marked the second federal agent-involved shooting in Minneapolis within one week, further inflaming tensions that have turned the Minnesota city into a flashpoint for the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement strategy.

Trump’s Insurrection Act Warning Targets State Leadership

Trump made his threat explicit in a Thursday morning post on Truth Social, directly challenging Minnesota’s Democratic leadership.

“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State.”

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The Insurrection Act of 1807 is a rarely-used federal law that grants the president authority to deploy U.S. military forces domestically without prior congressional approval. The law allows the president to federalize National Guard troops or deploy active-duty military personnel to enforce federal authority when state or local governments are deemed unable or unwilling to maintain order. President George H.W. Bush was the last president to invoke the act in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots following the Rodney King verdict.

Trump’s threat represents a dramatic escalation in the confrontation between federal authorities and Minnesota officials who have challenged the federal government’s immigration enforcement operations in their state.

Second Shooting in Week Intensifies Minneapolis Crisis

Wednesday night’s shooting occurred around 7 p.m. in north Minneapolis when ICE agents attempted to arrest a Venezuelan national during a targeted enforcement operation. According to a DHS statement, the subject fled in a vehicle, crashed into a parked car, then fled on foot before allegedly assaulting the pursuing federal officer.

“While the subject and law enforcement were in a struggle on the ground, two subjects came out of a nearby apartment and also attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle,” the DHS statement read.

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The federal officer shot the Venezuelan man in the leg. All three suspects barricaded themselves inside an apartment before the officer and suspect were transported to hospitals for treatment.

The shooting came exactly one week after ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis mother, during a Jan. 7 confrontation. Good was shot three times—once through the windshield and twice through the driver’s side window—as she attempted to drive away from federal agents who had approached her vehicle. Ross, a 10-year ICE veteran, has been identified through court records but has not been publicly named by federal authorities.

Federal officials claim Ross acted in self-defense, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asserting Ross was struck by Good’s vehicle. However, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey directly challenged that narrative after reviewing video footage.

“Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is bullshit,” Frey stated.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Wednesday that Ross suffered internal bleeding to the torso following the Jan. 7 incident, though officials have not provided details about the severity of the injuries or exactly how he sustained them. Ross has not returned to work since the shooting.

Walz Delivers Rare Primetime Address Calling for End to Federal Occupation

Hours before Wednesday night’s shooting, Gov. Tim Walz delivered a rare six-minute primetime address to Minnesota residents, describing the state as being under federal occupation and urging President Trump and Secretary Noem to withdraw immigration enforcement personnel.

“What’s happening in Minnesota right now defies belief,” Walz said. “News reports simply don’t do justice to the level of chaos and disruption and trauma the federal government is raining down upon our communities.”

The governor said between 2,000 and 3,000 armed federal agents have been deployed to Minnesota as part of Operation Metro Surge, which DHS officials describe as the largest immigration enforcement operation in the agency’s history. The force significantly outnumbers Minneapolis’ 600-member police force and St. Paul’s law enforcement personnel combined.

“Let’s be very, very clear, this long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement,” Walz stated. “Instead, it’s a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.”

The governor encouraged Minnesota residents to document federal agents’ activities with their phones, calling for citizens to help create what he termed “a database of the atrocities against Minnesotans.”

“If you see these ICE agents in your neighborhood, take out that phone and hit record,” Walz urged. “Help us create a database of the atrocities against Minnesotans, not just to establish a record for posterity, but to bank evidence for future prosecution.”

Despite his criticism of federal operations, Walz repeatedly urged protesters to remain peaceful, acknowledging widespread anger while warning against giving Trump the chaos the governor believes the president seeks.

“Donald Trump wants chaos. He wants confusion. And, yes, he wants more violence on our streets,” Walz said. “We cannot give him what he wants.”

Deputy Attorney General Accuses State Leaders of Terrorism

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a provocative statement Wednesday night directly accusing Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey of terrorism and inciting violence against federal law enforcement officers.

“ICE operates in thousands of counties without incident. Men and women doing their jobs, protecting us from criminal aliens. Minnesota insurrection is a direct result of a FAILED governor and a TERRIBLE mayor encouraging violence against law enforcement,” Blanche wrote on social media. “It’s disgusting. Walz and Frey — I’m focused on stopping YOU from your terrorism by whatever means necessary. This is not a threat. It’s a promise.”

Blanche’s use of the term “Minnesota insurrection” appeared to lay groundwork for potential invocation of the Insurrection Act, which specifically authorizes presidential action against insurrections and domestic violence. However, both Walz and Frey released statements Wednesday night calling for calm and urging protesters to remain peaceful, making it unclear what specific actions Blanche was referencing as incitement to violence.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller amplified the accusations on Fox News, using multiple terms to describe Minnesota officials’ alleged conduct.

“You can use the term insurgency, you can use the term insurrection, you can use the term domestic terrorism,” Miller said, without outlining specific evidence of how Walz or Frey incited violence.

Minneapolis Mayor Calls Federal Operations Unsustainable

Mayor Frey held a late-night press conference Wednesday alongside Police Chief Brian O’Hara, where he described the federal presence as creating an impossible situation for the city while also urging residents not to respond to federal actions with violence.

“There’s still a lot that we don’t know at this time, but what I can tell you for certain is that this is not sustainable. This is an impossible situation that our city is being put in,” Frey said.

The mayor directly criticized ICE agents’ conduct while simultaneously warning protesters against escalating tensions.

“I’ve seen conduct from ICE that is disgusting and is intolerable. If it were your city, it would be unacceptable there too,” Frey stated. “And for anyone that is taking the bait tonight — stop. It is not helpful. We cannot respond to Donald Trump’s chaos with our own chaos.”

Police Chief O’Hara reported that officers responding to Wednesday night’s shooting scene faced protesters throwing rocks, fireworks, ice and snowballs, prompting mutual aid requests from the Minnesota State Patrol and Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.

“People need to leave. This is already a very tense situation and we do not need this to escalate any further,” O’Hara told reporters.

Federal officers responded to the protests with tear gas and flash bangs, with video showing smoke-filled streets and masked federal agents in tactical gear confronting demonstrators.

Federal Court Declines to Halt ICE Operations

A federal judge declined Wednesday morning to issue a temporary restraining order that would have paused ICE enforcement activities in Minnesota while a lawsuit filed by the state and Minneapolis and St. Paul proceeds. U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez said she needed more time to review evidence before making a ruling, giving the Justice Department until Monday to file a response.

The lawsuit alleges federal agents have violated constitutional rights including free speech protections and are conducting immigration enforcement operations in violation of federal law. State officials argue the massive federal presence and aggressive tactics have created chaos and violated residents’ civil liberties.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined Minneapolis and St. Paul in filing the legal challenge, seeking to compel federal authorities to scale back operations and restore what state officials describe as normal law enforcement cooperation.

Prosecutors Resign Over Investigation Into Shooting Victim’s Family

Six federal prosecutors in Minnesota, including First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, resigned this week in protest over what The New York Times reported was pressure from the Justice Department to investigate Renee Good’s widow and her ties to anti-ICE activists rather than focusing on the shooting itself.

Thompson had been the lead prosecutor in the high-profile Feeding Our Future fraud investigation and was serving as acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota. His resignation along with five other prosecutors highlighted internal Justice Department divisions over how to handle the controversial shooting case.

Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News she fired the prosecutors after they attempted to resign.

“We had six prosecutors who suddenly decided they didn’t want to support the men and women in ICE,” Bondi said.

The Justice Department has excluded Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from its investigation into Good’s death, conducting what officials describe as an independent federal review. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has announced she intends to pursue her own investigation and potential charges, though she acknowledged the FBI has not shared critical evidence including Ross’s gun, shell casings and Good’s vehicle.

Will Trump’s threat to deploy military forces escalate the crisis in Minnesota or force state officials to back down from their confrontation with federal immigration enforcement?

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