Pentagon Puts 1,500 Troops on Alert for Minnesota Deployment

The US Department of Defense is preparing up to 1,500 active-duty troops for a potential deployment to Minnesota amid concerns over escalating unrest, according to officials cited by The Washington Post on Sunday.

The report said the Pentagon has placed the units on heightened alert as a precautionary measure in case violence intensifies in the state, a move first reported by Reuters. Neither the Pentagon nor the White House immediately responded to requests for comment.

The development follows sharp warnings from Donald Trump, who has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act if state authorities fail to prevent protesters from targeting federal immigration officials. In a post on his Truth Social platform last week, Trump said he would activate the law if Minnesota officials did not act to stop what he described as attacks on immigration officers carrying out their duties.

Tensions in Minnesota have risen in recent days amid protests linked to immigration enforcement. A US federal judge on Friday imposed restrictions on immigration police operations in the state, following public pressure after the fatal shooting of an American woman by an immigration officer last week.

In her ruling, US District Judge Kate Menendez ordered immigration officers not to detain protesters inside vehicles or take them into custody unless they are actively obstructing law enforcement operations.

The situation has intensified the national debate over federal authority, protest policing and the potential use of military forces on US soil, as Washington closely monitors developments in Minnesota.