Protests in Minneapolis: the Pentagon prepares with 1,500 troops

19th January 2026

2 minutes read

Protests in Minneapolis: the Pentagon prepares with 1,500 troops

The Pentagon is preparing for the possible deployment of forces to Minneapolis, where protests have erupted following the killing, on January 7, of an American woman shot by an officer from the immigration administration.

According to The Washington Post, nearly 1,500 soldiers have been placed on alert in preparation for deployment to the state of Minnesota, specifically to its largest city, Minneapolis.

President Donald Trump had previously hinted at activating legislation that would allow the army to be sent to the state, which has witnessed protests against the methods used by immigration police.

Agence France-Presse contacted the US Department of Defense and the White House but received no immediate response.

These soldiers may be sent to the northern state, where American citizens are demonstrating to denounce police practices in arresting undocumented migrants.

Following clashes between police and protesters, Trump threatened on Thursday to invoke the “Insurrection Act” to deploy the army, accusing local Democratic officials of failing to “prevent professional agitators and insurgents from attacking” agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

He later softened his remarks on Friday, saying he saw “no reason at this time” to take such action.

Minneapolis’s Democratic mayor, Jacob Frey, told CBS on Sunday that “this is not about security. It is about them entering our city by the thousands and terrorizing people simply because they are of Latino or Somali origin”.

He added that the Trump administration had already deployed “around 3,000 immigration and border patrol agents” in the city, five times the size of the local police force.

The methods of immigration officers, often masked and sometimes carrying automatic rifles, are facing growing public rejection.

In all opinion polls, a large majority of Americans condemned the actions of the officer who shot and killed Renée Good in Minneapolis, a 37-year-old mother.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS on Sunday that immigration enforcement operations would continue “until we are sure that all dangerous individuals have been arrested, brought to justice, and then deported to their country of origin”.

Several media outlets reported that the units placed on alert by the Pentagon, stationed in Alaska, are trained to carry out operations in extreme cold conditions.