Trump Threatens Insurrection Act in Minnesota Amid ICE Tensions

President Donald Trump is threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota, raising the stakes amid heightened tension over immigration enforcement following shootings by federal agents.

Trump in a January 15 social media post accused demonstrators of "attacking the Patriots of I.C.E." and said if Minnesota authorities don't respond, he "will institute the INSURRECTION ACT... and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State."

The Insurrection Act gives the president authority to deploy U.S. troops to suppress rebellions and civil unrest or when federal laws are being obstructed. The law, or its predecessors, have been invoked 30 times going back to 1794, most recently during the Los Angeles riots in 1992.

What's Happening in Minnesota

Tensions are high after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis last week. Another individual was shot in the leg by a federal agent in Minneapolis on January 14. Good's death sparked demonstrations that included protesters clashing with federal agents.

The shooting has intensified the debate around Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement efforts. Democrats have sharply criticized ICE. The Trump administration is staunchly defending the agency and the officer who shot Good.

Minneapolis officials have called on the Trump administration to withdraw ICE from the city. Instead, the administration has surged federal immigration agents into Minneapolis since Good's shooting.

Minnesota and Illinois recently sued the Trump administration over immigration enforcement efforts. The lawsuits seek to block the surge of immigration agents.

Trump's History with the Insurrection Act

Trump clashed with city and state leaders over his efforts to deploy National Guard troops last year and recently rescinded deployments in Chicago, Portland and Los Angeles after legal defeats. The president previously threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to call out the Guard.

"I'd do it if it was necessary," Trump said October 6. "So far, it hasn't been necessary. But we have an Insurrection Act for a reason. If I had to enact it, I'd do that."

What It Comes Down To

An ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. Another person got shot in the leg by a federal agent days later. Demonstrations broke out. Protesters clashed with federal agents.

Trump is now calling protesters "attackers" and threatening to deploy U.S. troops if Minnesota doesn't crack down. Minneapolis wants ICE out of the city. Trump's response was to send more ICE agents in.

The Insurrection Act hasn't been invoked since the LA riots in 1992. That's over 30 years ago. Minnesota and Illinois are both suing to block the immigration agent surge. Federal courts will decide whether Trump's deployment of agents is legal.

The administration's defending the officer who shot Good. They won't say what justified the shooting, just that ICE agents are under attack and need protection. Minneapolis officials see it differently. They want ICE out because the presence of heavily armed federal agents conducting raids is creating dangerous situations that led to someone getting killed.

Minnesota and Illinois lawsuits are working their way through courts. But legal processes take time. Trump's talking about deploying troops now if Minnesota doesn't crack down on demonstrators.

Whether federal courts would allow Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act over this is unclear. He's arguing there's civil unrest that state authorities aren't controlling. Minnesota would argue the unrest is a direct response to federal agents' actions and wouldn't exist if ICE withdrew.

For now it's a threat. But Trump's shown he's willing to follow through on threats before, even when courts later rule against him. The question is whether he actually invokes the Insurrection Act or uses the threat to pressure Minnesota into cracking down on demonstrations themselves.

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