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The President of the United States, Donald Trump, threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and deploy federal troops in Minneapolis to contain the protests that erupted following the recent shootings involving agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The warning from the governor comes just one day after an immigration officer shot and injured a man who had attacked him with a shovel and a broomstick, in a new incident that heightened tensions in the city, still in shock from the death of Renee Good, a local resident shot in the head by an ICE agent on January 7.
“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota do not obey the law and do not stop the agitators and insurgents attacking the patriots of ICE, I will invoke the Insurrection Act, as many presidents before me have done, and I will quickly put an end to this disgrace,” wrote Trump in a social media post.
The Insurrection Act is a federal law that allows the president to use the Armed Forces or federalize the National Guard to restore domestic order.
Its most recent use occurred in 1992, when then-President George H. W. Bush invoked it during the Los Angeles riots at the request of local authorities.
According to AP, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that he will challenge any attempt by the federal government to send troops to the city and reminded that he has already sued the Department of Homeland Security over the increase in raids and interventions.
"We will resort to the courts if they try to impose military measures," he declared.
Democratic Governor Tim Walz also directly responded to Trump's message. "I urge the president to cool down. This campaign of retaliation is not who we are as a nation."
In the streets of Minneapolis, protests continue daily. On Wednesday night, protesters and federal agents clashed near the site of the latest shooting.
The officers, equipped with gas masks and helmets, launched tear gas while the protesters responded with stones and fireworks.
The city mayor, Jacob Frey, described the situation as "impossible" and criticized the scale of the federal operation.
"We are facing a force five times larger than our local police. The neighbors are scared and angry," he said.
The Department of Homeland Security reported that the latest shooting occurred when agents attempted to stop a Venezuelan driver who was in the country illegally.
After fleeing and crashing his vehicle, the man was pursued by officers and was shot in the leg when, according to authorities, three individuals attacked him simultaneously.
The ICE agent Jonathan Ross, responsible for the death of Renee Good, remains under investigation and is recovering from internal injuries sustained during that confrontation, a Department of Homeland Security official confirmed to AP.
Good was shot after three agents surrounded her vehicle during an operation in a residential neighborhood. A video recorded by a passerby shows Ross aiming and shooting at close range as the car begins to move.
The case has sparked a wave of outrage and protests in Minneapolis, which have spread throughout the country.
The Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, defended the agent's actions, claiming he acted in self-defense after being struck by the vehicle, a version rejected by the authorities in Minnesota.
Renee Good's family hired the same law firm that represented George Floyd's family in 2020, and they have announced a lawsuit against the federal government for excessive use of force.
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