The Pentagon has placed 1,500 active-duty U.S. soldiers on standby for possible deployment to Minneapolis as days of sustained unrest and escalating violence continue in the city.
Anti–Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests and disruptions have simmered for months across Democrat-controlled cities, but tensions sharply intensified following the January 7 shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis resident and local “ICE Watch” agitator.
Good was shot and killed after accelerating her vehicle and ramming an ICE agent who was standing directly in front of her car.
Multiple video angles of the incident have confirmed that the agent was struck by the vehicle before opening fire.
Nevertheless, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, both Democrats, have publicly encouraged protesters to take to the streets and have asserted that the agent had no right to act in self-defense.
Those demonstrations have repeatedly turned violent, resulting in arrests of agitators and a series of escalating confrontations with law enforcement.
Riots, Looting, and Targeted Attacks
In one notable incident following the unrest, a mob looted an FBI vehicle and stole a rifle after a Venezuelan illegal alien ambushed a federal agent with a shovel.
The attacker was shot in the leg and taken into custody.
Federal authorities later arrested a Latin Kings gang member and several other rioters in connection with the theft of the rifle.
🚨 BREAKING: Minneapolis rioters successfully BROKE OPEN a weapons locker in a federal vehicle and STOLE A RIFLE and ammunition before fleeing
I captured the thief’s face and license plate on the getaway vehicle.
PLEASE SHARE and HELP IDENTIFY this POS.
I have forwarded this… pic.twitter.com/7rwfIsN7v6
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 15, 2026
Violence escalated further on Saturday when Jake Lang, a controversial right-wing activist, was assaulted by a mob and allegedly stabbed after attempting to burn a Quran near Minneapolis City Hall.
Several members of Lang’s group were also attacked, with some suffering visible head and facial injuries.
Elsewhere in the city, roving mobs were seen attacking random individuals they believed to be affiliated with ICE or counter-protests.
In one case, left-wing activists assaulted a man wearing a camouflage jacket, only to discover he was “on their side.”
For those unaware, after Jake Lang got beaten to a pulp and pulled away back into the crowd by the Democrat mob he was stabbed
They tried to murder him after he was already near unconscious from his injuries
INSURRECTION ACT NOW. Lock up protest funderspic.twitter.com/v7vihf4ObF
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) January 18, 2026
Military on Standby
Late Saturday night, CBS News reported that the Pentagon had placed 1,500 active-duty troops on standby for potential deployment to Minneapolis.
The personnel are drawn from active-duty units, with some reportedly based in Alaska.
Separately, the Minnesota National Guard has been mobilized and placed on standby to assist local law enforcement if requested.
In a social media post that drew criticism, Governor Walz’s office said Guard members would wear neon vests to distinguish them from other agencies, despite Walz’s repeated claims that Minnesota is effectively “at war” with the federal government.
Trump Signals Insurrection Act Option
The potential deployment comes as President Donald Trump has signaled he may invoke the Insurrection Act if state and local leaders fail to restore order.
“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 on Truth Social on Thursday.
Members of the Minnesota National Guard are on standby, ready to assist local law enforcement and public safety agencies. If our members are activated, they will be wearing reflective vests, as pictured here, to help distinguish them from other agencies in similar uniforms. pic.twitter.com/xopL7aOZnJ
— Minnesota National Guard (@MNNationalGuard) January 17, 2026
Invoking the Insurrection Act would allow the president to deploy active-duty military forces or federalize the National Guard to suppress insurrection or civil disorder.
While presidents typically issue a proclamation ordering unrest to disperse, the law allows unilateral action in cases where federal law enforcement is being obstructed.
The Insurrection Act, enacted in 1807, has been used 30 times in U.S. history, most recently during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
As Minneapolis continues to grapple with unrest, the administration’s move to place troops on standby underscores growing concern in Washington that state and local leadership is unwilling, or unable, to rein in escalating violence.
READ MORE – Democrats Planning to Force Government Shutdown Over ICE Funding
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