Trump threatens to invoke Insurrection Act as protests grow in Minneapolis over shootings

By Doina Chiacu January 16, 2026 — 9.13am Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Washington: US President Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces in Minnesota after days of angry protests over a surge in immigration agents on the streets of Minneapolis. Confrontations between residents and federal officers have become increasingly tense after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot US citizen Renee Good in a car last week in Minneapolis, and the protests have spread to other cities. Trump’s latest threat came a few hours after an immigration officer shot a Venezuelan man whom the government said was fleeing after agents tried to stop his vehicle in Minneapolis. The man was wounded in the leg. “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 wrote on social media on Thursday (Friday AEDT). Trump, a Republican, has for weeks derided the state’s Democratic leaders and called people of Somali origin there “garbage” who should be “thrown out” of the country. Loading He has already sent nearly 3000 federal officers into the Minneapolis area, who have carried guns through the city’s icy streets, wearing military-style camouflage gear and masks that hide their faces. They have been met day and night by loud, often angry protests by residents, some blowing whistles or banging tambourines. On Wednesday night, crowds of nearby residents gathered near the area where the Venezuelan man was shot. Some shouted in protest, and federal officers ignited flash-bang grenades and released clouds of tear gas. Later, after most of the residents had been dispersed, a small group vandalised a car they believed belonged to the federal officers, one person daubing it with red graffiti saying: “Hang Kristi Noem,” in reference to the Homeland Security secretary who oversees ICE. Advertisement Since the surge began, agents have arrested both immigrants and protesters, at times smashing windows and pulling people from their cars, and have been shouted at for stopping black and Latino US citizens to demand identification. The Department of Homeland Security identified the man its officer shot as Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. Federal officers attempt to disperse demonstrators protesting against ICE in St Paul, Minnesota, on Thursday. Credit: Bloomberg He had been allowed into the US by the administration of Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, in 2022 through the government’s humanitarian parole program. The Trump administration has since revoked the parole granted to Venezuelans and others admitted under Biden. In its statement, DHS called him a convicted criminal under Minnesota law after being caught driving without a licence and giving a false name to a police officer. Court records of those cases...

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