The Insurrection Act allows the President to deploy the military inside the United States to suppress rebellion or violence. Using troops would be a dramatic line to cross for Trump’s administration
Donald Trump has threatened to use the US military to target protesters in Minnesota – invoking the Insurrection Act to ‘put an end to the travesty.’
The little-used Insurrection Act allows the President to deploy the military inside the United States to suppress rebellion or violence.It allows him to bypass State governors and city leaders, and to send National Guard troops to Minnesota from other parts of the country. The unrest in Minnesota could well meet the test for invoking the act – but Trump using the military against American citizens would dramatically cross a line. Most recently it was invoked by George W Bush in a bid to quell the 1992 LA riots.
Lyndon B Johnson used it twice during the 1960s – once to quell riots in Detroit, and again amid unrest following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. It’s only ever been invoked in a limited way, and only to tackle a specific and well defined outbreak of violence or unrest that police might struggle to tackle. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of ICE, 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 has repeatedly claimed – without evidence – that protests against ICE operations in Minnesota are “fake” and that those involved in them are “professionals.” It feeds into a conspiracy theory his administration has sought to spread, claiming all dissent and protest against him must be coordinated, organised and funded by a shadowy network of “radical leftist” figures. Trump has threatened to invoke the act a number of times before, following protests in Portland and Los Angeles. The Department for Homeland Security says it has made more than 2,000 arrests in Minnesota since early December – but has been widely criticised for targeting protesters who are acting legally.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fray described the situation as not “sustainable.” “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,” he said. Frey said the federal force – five times the size of the city’s 600-officer police force – has “invaded” Minneapolis, scaring and angering residents.
Frey said the federal force — five times the size of the city’s 600-officer police force — has “invaded” Minneapolis, scaring and angering residents.
The president’s threat comes a day after a federal immigration officer shot and wounded a Minneapolis man who had attacked the officer with a shovel and broom handle. That shooting further heightened the fear and anger radiating across the Minnesota city since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head.
In Minneapolis, smoke filled the streets Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd. Protesters responded by throwing rocks and shooting fireworks.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a news conference that the gathering was an unlawful assembly and “people need to leave.”
Things later quietened down and by early Thursday only a few demonstrators and law enforcement officers remained at the scene.
Demonstrations have become common on the streets of Minneapolis since the ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Good on Jan. 7. Agents have yanked people from their cars and homes, and have been confronted by angry bystanders demanding that the officers pack up and leave.