By Greg Shipley — January 15, 2026
In a rare and escalating move, President Donald Trump on Thursday warned he will invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy military forces to Minneapolis unless Minnesota officials “rein in” protesters clashing with federal immigration agents after a second shooting involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this week.
The president’s message, posted Thursday on Truth Social, framed the unrest as an assault on federal officers and declared that “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. … I will institute the Insurrection Act … and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State.”
Second Shooting Sparks Violence
The latest shooting occurred Wednesday evening in north Minneapolis, where ICE and DHS officers were conducting a targeted traffic stop in the Hawthorne neighborhood. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the Venezuelan man being detained fled, crashed into a parked vehicle, then resisted arrest. Two other individuals allegedly emerged and attacked an ICE agent with a snow shovel and broom handle, prompting the agent to fire, striking the suspect in the leg. The man was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.
Tensions boiled over at the scene as crowds confronted federal personnel. Law enforcement deployed tear gas and flash-bang devices against demonstrators, and multiple videos from the unrest show chaotic clashes.
This incident marks the second federal officer-involved shooting in Minneapolis following the Jan. 7 death of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen fatally shot by an ICE agent during an enforcement operation. Good’s death triggered sustained outrage and protests across the city, inflaming already deep divisions over immigration enforcement.
Federal Response and Controversy
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has labeled the Wednesday ambush attempt and subsequent unrest an “attempted murder” of federal law enforcement and has defended ICE operations amid mounting criticism. Noem has also discussed the Insurrection Act with Trump and insisted federal agents will remain in Minnesota.
The Insurrection Act, a seldom-used statute dating to 1807, gives a president authority to deploy active-duty forces or federalize the National Guard to enforce federal law or suppress rebellion without a governor’s consent. The law has not been invoked in decades; its most recent significant use was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Local and State Pushback
Minnesota officials have sharply rejected Trump’s threats. Gov. Tim Walz urged Minnesotans to protest peacefully and cautioned that escalating federal tactics risk intensifying violence rather than ending it. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called the situation “unsustainable.”
Meanwhile, critics across the political spectrum warn that labeling demonstrators “insurrectionists” and threatening military intervention sets a troubling precedent for domestic politics and civil liberties.
What Comes Next
As demonstrators remain in the streets and federal agents hold their positions, Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act signals a significant escalation in the administration’s enforcement posture — and a reckoning over the limits of federal authority in managing civil unrest. How Minnesota’s leaders respond in the coming hours and days could determine whether the president follows through with what many see as an unprecedented step in modern American politics.
Greg Shipley covers U.S. news and politics, with a focus on constitutional issues, national security, and government accountability.
