Trump threatens to use Insurrection Act in Minnesota: What it means

Trump threatens to use Insurrection Act in Minnesota: What it means Trump threatened to invoke the rarely used act if officials failed to quell protests against ICE agents, which have grown after two people were shot. United States President Donald Trump has warned he might invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy US troops to Minnesota if state officials do not work to calm the protests there against federal immigration authorities, who he said are “only trying to do their job”. His warning came at a time when widespread protests and political tension have gripped Minneapolis - Minnesota’s largest city - following two recent shootings involving federal immigration agents. Those include the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good , 37, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. Recommended Stories list of 1 itemend of list Here is what we know: What has Donald Trump said? On Thursday, Trump threatened in a social media post that he might use the Insurrection Act to crack down on protesters in Minnesota. “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, ” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. Following the post, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump alone would decide whether and when to invoke the centuries-old law. “That’s only a question ... the president can answer, but the Insurrection Act is a tool at the president’s disposal,” Leavitt said. “I think the president’s Truth Social post spoke very loud and clear to Democrats across this country, elected officials who are using their platforms to encourage violence against federal law enforcement officers, who are encouraging left-wing agitators to unlawfully obstruct legitimate law enforcement operations,” she added. Democrats, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and members of Congress from the state have pushed back against accusations from the Trump administration and allied Republicans that they have been provoking protesters against ICE. Instead, they have criticised the behaviour of ICE officers and accused the Trump administration of using the enforcement agency to sow chaos and violence in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said she had discussed the possibility of using the Insurrection Act with the president. “He certainly has the constitutional authority to utilise that,” Noem told reporters outside the White House. What is the Insurrection Act of 1807, and what does it do? The Insurrection Act is a law from 1807 that allows a US president to deploy federal military troops inside the country to restore order and enforce the law. When the law is invoked, it temporarily overrides another rule that normally prevents the military from carrying out civilian law enforcement. A president can use it if he decides that unrest or rebellion makes it impossible to enforce the law through the regular courts and police. The law does not clearly define what...

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