{"id":61194,"date":"2026-01-18T17:12:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T22:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=61194"},"modified":"2026-01-18T17:12:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T22:12:21","slug":"1500-soldiers-on-standby-for-possible-minnesota-deployment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2026\/01\/18\/1500-soldiers-on-standby-for-possible-minnesota-deployment\/","title":{"rendered":"1,500 soldiers on standby for possible Minnesota deployment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for possible deployment to Minnesota, according to a Trump administration source, as state officials have also mobilized the National Guard<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Demonstrators stand in front of members of federal law enforcement officials near the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building during a protest in Minneapolis, Saturday.\u00a0
Seth Herald\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Having troops on standby does not mean a deployment is imminent or guaranteed, the Trump administration source said. ABC News<\/a> first reported the preparations for a possible deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two battalions from the Alaska-based 11th Airborne Division are on prepare-to-deploy orders in Minnesota, according to a US defense official. It is unclear what tasks they would take on, though the official said it could include crowd control or support for law enforcement, similar to the role active-duty forces played in Los Angeles last summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military officials tell CNN they have options prepared for President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is typical for the Pentagon \u201cto be prepared for any decision the President may or may not make,\u201d the White House said in a statement to CNN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Department of War is always prepared to execute the orders of the Commander-in-Chief if called upon,\u201d Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

News of the active-duty soldiers on standby comes after reports of an expected surge<\/a> in Customs and Border Protection agents and other federal personnel, including a small number of FBI agents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Minnesota National Guard \u201care not deployed to city streets at this time, but are ready to help support public safety,\u201d Minnesota\u2019s Department of Public Safety said in a social media post<\/a> which included pictures of Guard members gathering bags of equipment alongside a row of trucks on a snowy road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Guard is \u201cstaged and ready to respond,\u201d Minnesota National Guard spokesperson Army Maj. Andrea Tsuchiya said in a statement to CNN, noting the troops will help provide \u201ctraffic support to protect life, preserve property, and support the rights of all Minnesotans to assemble peacefully.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walz thanked local law enforcement<\/a> for maintaining public safety amid the ongoing protests against the Trump administration\u2019s sweeping immigration operation in the Twin Cities. He urged everyone making their voices heard this weekend to \u201cstay safe and stay peaceful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey responded to reports of the active-duty soldiers being placed on standby Sunday on CNN\u2019s State of the Union<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis act was clearly designed to intimidate the people of Minneapolis,\u201d Frey said, calling the administration\u2019s actions \u201cridiculous\u201d and \u201ccompletely unconstitutional.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never thought in a million years that we would be invaded by our own federal government,\u201d Frey said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the prospect of state National Guard and local police facing off against ICE agents and active-duty troops in Minneapolis, Frey said, \u201cWe can\u2019t have that in America.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump previously raised the prospect of invoking the Insurrection Act, a centuries-old law,<\/a> which would allow the deployment of US troops to Minnesota \u2013 which Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche voiced support for on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPresident Trump has promised to keep the American people safe, and the fact that the local law enforcement, because their leadership is not doing their jobs, there may come a time when the president has to order that,\u201d Blanche said on \u201cFox News Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe support him, the attorney general supports him because we have to keep the citizens safe,\u201d Blanche added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The possible deployment of even more law enforcement officials to the state comes as protests continue on the frigid streets of Minneapolis. On Saturday, crowds of bundled-up protesters faced tense standoffs with federal immigration officers and a confrontation between anti- and pro-ICE demonstrators near City Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protests intensified after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three<\/a>, in her car earlier this month. Her killing has sparked protests across the country and fueled outrage at President Donald Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown, which has seen armed and masked agents employing aggressive tactics<\/a> in targeted campaigns across US cities. The outrage deepened last week when another federal agent shot a Venezuelan man in the leg who the Department of Homeland Security said was \u201cviolently\u201d resisting arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walz gave the initial order for the state National Guard to support local law enforcement the day after Good was killed<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crowds gather in subfreezing temperatures<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demonstrators chanted and waved signs in downtown Minneapolis and outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on Saturday despite brutally cold weather. Extra measures were put in place in downtown Minneapolis with blocked roads and at least one hotel bolstering security due to the protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the Whipple federal building, a large group of federal officers clad in riot gear moved toward protesters, who responded with chants of expletives and boos. Some protesters urged restraint, calling on the crowd to stay together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CNN observed several protesters detained by federal law enforcement near the building. The demonstrations appeared largely peaceful, and it was not immediately clear what led to the detentions. CNN has reached out to DHS for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personnel from the Hennepin County Sheriff\u2019s Department were also present but told CNN in the evening they did not detain or arrest anyone at Saturday\u2019s protests. Sheriff\u2019s deputies\u2019 vehicles were used to block parts of the street from demonstrators and deputies appeared to mostly remain in their cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier in the day, conservative influencer Jake Lang led a small group supporting ICE in what was dubbed the \u201cMarch Against Minnesota Fraud\u201d near City Hall but was outnumbered and chased away by a much larger group of counter-demonstrators, CNN affiliate KARE<\/a> reported. The Minneapolis Police Department told CNN Saturday evening they gave a dispersal order but made no arrests and the crowd \u201ceventually dispersed without incident.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lang said on social media before the event he intended to \u201cburn a Quran\u201d on the steps of City Hall, but it\u2019s unclear whether that happened, according to The Associated Press<\/a>. He appeared to have bruises and scrapes on his head as he left the area Saturday, the AP reported. Lang, who recently announced plans to run for US Senate in Florida, is among the January 6 defendants granted clemency by President Trump. He was charged with assaulting an officer with a baseball bat, civil disorder and other crimes, the<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judge limits feds\u2019 response to protests<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demonstrations are continuing with new restrictions placed on federal agents under a preliminary injunction from a judge on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Federal agents cannot arrest or detain peaceful protesters or deploy certain crowd-control measures against them, according to US District Judge Katherine Menendez\u2019s ruling. Menendez also said agents can no longer stop and detain drivers when there is \u201cno reasonable articulable suspicion\u201d they are forcibly obstructing or interfering with federal operations, noting, \u201cThe act of safely following\u201d the officers \u201cat an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The restrictions apply to personnel carrying out the Trump administration\u2019s Operation Metro Surge, which began last month and involves thousands of federal agents dispatched to the Twin Cities to target undocumented Somali immigrants<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city of Minneapolis responded with a statement<\/a> saying, \u201cAs this is a federal court order, we expect the federal administration to change course and comply for the safety of all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responding to the ruling, assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said agents follow training and use \u201cthe minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property\u201d from what the department called \u201cdangerous rioters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the order \u201cridiculous\u201d and said it does not change operations on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat federal order was a little ridiculous, because that federal judge came down and told us we couldn\u2019t do what we already aren\u2019t doing,\u201d Noem said on CBS\u2019 \u201cFace the Nation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe only use those chemical agents when there\u2019s violence happening and perpetuating, and you need to be able to establish law and order to keep people safe,\u201d Noem added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino issued a similar statement on X<\/a>, alleging \u201cagitators\u201d in Minneapolis have assaulted and thrown objects at officers and rammed law enforcement vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will continue enforcing the law, making arrests, and keeping Minneapolis safe. Undeterred. Unapologetic,\u201d Bovino said, without specifically references the judge\u2019s ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ICE has ramped up the size of its teams due to fears of attacks on agents, the agency\u2019s acting director Todd Lyons said on \u201cFox News Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou hear about the 3,000 federal officers and special agents that deployed to Minneapolis \u2013 majority of those, if not most, are to protect the men and women that are out there trying to make those arrests, and that has definitely changed our tactics. Where we would go and have five to six officers on an arrest team, now you have to go with 10 to 15 just to protect those individuals that are trying to arrest a bad guy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The preliminary injunction stems from a lawsuit filed by activists and is separate from a lawsuit<\/a> filed Monday by the state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities over the federal government\u2019s Operation Metro Surge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The escalating legal battles come amid word the Department of Justice is investigating Walz and Frey<\/a> over possible obstruction of federal law enforcement, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frey said Sunday he has not received a subpoena or any official notice about the investigation and is not aware of specific allegations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mayor, Walz and other Democrats decried the reported investigation, accusing the Trump administration of weaponizing the DOJ to target political opponents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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