President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act — a law that could allow him to send federal troops — to try to end ongoing protests in Minneapolis after a second federal immigration agent-involved shooting this week.
Trump’s threat came one day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a Minneapolis man during what federal authorities described as an attack with a shovel and broom handle. The incident has further inflamed tensions in the Minnesota city, where demonstrations have erupted since an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good on Jan. 7.
Trump’s social media threat
In a social media post on Thursday, Trump directed his threat at Minnesota officials, accusing them of failing to control what he called “professional agitators and insurrectionists.”
“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,” Trump wrote.
The Insurrection Act is a rarely used federal law that allows presidents to deploy the U.S. military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement, typically over the objections of state governors. Presidents have invoked the act more than two dozen times throughout U.S. history, most recently in 1992 when President George H.W. Bush used it to end unrest in Los Angeles. In that case, local authorities had requested federal assistance.
Wednesday night’s shooting
The latest shooting occurred on Wednesday when federal officers stopped a driver from Venezuela who is in the U.S. illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The person drove away and crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot, DHS said.
After officers caught up with the individual, two other people emerged from a nearby apartment, and all three began attacking the officer, according to the federal agency’s account.
“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS said in a statement.
The two people who came from the apartment are now in custody. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the wounded man was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
The shooting took place about 4.5 miles north of where Good was killed last week.
Tear gas and confrontations
The shooting late Wednesday prompted protests in the streets near the scene, where smoke drifted through the area as federal officers, wearing helmets and gas masks, used tear gas to push back the crowd. Protesters threw rocks and set off fireworks in response as tensions escalated.
During a news conference, Police Chief Brian O’Hara declared the gathering an unlawful assembly and told demonstrators that “people need to leave.”
The confrontation eventually subsided, with only a few demonstrators and law enforcement officers remaining at the scene by early Thursday morning.
City officials describe ‘invasion’
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described the situation as unprecedented, saying the federal presence has overwhelmed his city.
“This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in, and at the same time, we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order,” Frey said.
The mayor characterized the federal force as having “invaded” Minneapolis, noting it is five times larger than the city’s 600-officer police department. The massive presence has scared and angered residents, Frey said.
Demonstrations have become routine on Minneapolis streets since the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Good. Video and witness accounts from the scene show federal agents detaining people during traffic stops and at residences, a tactic that has fueled confrontations with bystanders who have demanded the officers leave the area.
Governor calls situation ‘organized brutality’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sharply criticized the federal immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis earlier Wednesday, saying it had pushed the state into chaos and gone far beyond its stated purpose.
Speaking during remarks at the Minnesota State Capitol hours before the second shooting involving federal officers, Walz said the actions of federal agents no longer resembled routine immigration enforcement.
“Let’s be very clear — this stopped being about immigration enforcement a long time ago,” Walz said. “What we are seeing now is a campaign of organized brutality being carried out against the people of Minnesota by their own federal government.”
Walz said the scale and intensity of the federal presence in Minneapolis “defies belief,” warning that the operation was inflaming tensions rather than restoring order.
After President Donald Trump later threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to the unrest, Walz again urged de-escalation, calling on the president to lower the temperature and warning that further escalation would only deepen the crisis. He encouraged Minnesotans to continue voicing their opposition peacefully.
Massive arrest numbers
The Department of Homeland Security says federal immigration officers have made more than 2,500 arrests in Minnesota since Nov. 29 as part of an expanded immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities. Federal officials have indicated the effort will continue despite mounting criticism from state and local leaders.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates as an agency within DHS and is responsible for carrying out the administration’s immigration enforcement priorities nationwide.
Details emerge about fatal shooting
Additional details have surfaced about the ICE officer involved in the fatal shooting of Renee Good last week. Federal officials have identified the officer as Jonathan Ross, who fired the shots that killed Good during an enforcement operation near her Minneapolis home.
A Homeland Security official told The Associated Press that Ross was later treated for internal bleeding in his torso following the encounter. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity, and no additional details were provided about the severity of the injury, when it was diagnosed, or what medical treatment Ross received.
Good, 37, was inside her SUV when federal immigration officers confronted her during an enforcement operation last week. Video shows an officer attempting to get her to open the door as the vehicle began to move, moments before Jonathan Ross, standing near the front of the SUV, fired several shots. The vehicle continued forward as Ross stepped back.
According to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the officer was hit by the vehicle during the encounter. However, officials have not publicly clarified how that claim relates to the reported internal bleeding, and video of the incident does not clearly show the extent of any contact between the officer and the vehicle.
What’s next
Federal officials have made no move to formally invoke the Insurrection Act, and no timeline has been announced for any such action. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has said any attempt to use the law would be met with immediate legal challenge.
At the same time, Minnesota, Minneapolis, and St. Paul have taken the rare step of suing the Department of Homeland Security in federal court, asking a judge to halt Operation Metro Surge on constitutional grounds, calling the large deployment of agents unlawful. Despite that lawsuit and ongoing protests, Homeland Security officials say enforcement operations will continue in the Twin Cities.
The events in Minneapolis have also been felt in Michigan, where concerns about federal immigration enforcement have been building for months. In Detroit, particularly in Southwest Detroit, residents and advocacy groups have organized protests and neighborhood alerts tied to ICE activity, urging city leaders to limit cooperation with federal agents, and raising concerns about how raids disrupt families and everyday life.
Related
About the Author
Discover more from USA NEWS
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
