Trump threatens to invoke Insurrection Act in Minnesota amid ICE protests

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (KUNA) -- US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota, a law that allows the deployment of the military to handle protests, following demonstrations against the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency in the state.
Trump made the remarks on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying: "If the corrupt politicians in Minnesota do not enforce the law and stop the professional agitators and rebels from attacking ICE officers who are simply doing their duty, I will activate the Insurrection Act as many presidents before me have and put a quick end to this farce in a state that was once great." The warning follows a night of clashes between protesters and federal law enforcement in Minneapolis, which escalated after a federal officer shot a Venezuelan man accused of fleeing a traffic checkpoint and assaulting the officer. The unrest was sparked further by the killing of a woman last week by an ICE officer in the same city, triggering protests that spread to other states.
The Insurrection Act, previously invoked by Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, grants the US president the authority to mobilize the National Guard or armed forces in cases of "insurrection" or "danger of insurrection," or when local authorities are unable to enforce federal law or maintain public safety.
Trump previously invoked the law last year in California in response to escalating protests against ICE operations, relying on legal authority to deploy military forces domestically to address what he deemed a threat to public order.
Under presidential orders, the US military has deployed 700 Marines to Los Angeles to protect federal facilities, while the Department of Defense announced the mobilization of 2,000 additional National Guard troops to secure the city and surrounding areas. (end) rsr.aa