President Trump has threatened to send federal troops to Minnesota. He says he may invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807, a law rarely used in modern times. The move escalates tensions between the White House and state governments. Minnesota officials are pushing back hard.
Governor Tim Walz delivered a clear message last week. “We do not need any further help from the federal government,” he said. He added directly to Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, “You’ve done enough.”
Trump claims Minnesota is failing to stop ICE protesters
On Thursday, Trump took to social media to make the threat public. He accused Minnesota politicians of failing to stop “professional agitators and insurrectionists” attacking “Patriots of I.C.E.” He warned that if state officials did not “obey the law,” he would “institute the INSURRECTION ACT” to end the situation in Minnesota.
The Insurrection Act allows a president to deploy federal troops or federalize a state National Guard during an insurrection or obstruction of laws. It gives far more authority than the usual Title 10 powers, which mostly let the president support local police without taking full control.
Kristi Noem stands by ICE Operations
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said federal immigration operations will continue despite protests. She confirmed she discussed the Insurrection Act with President Trump on Thursday. Noem indicated there are no plans to pull federal agents from Minnesota.
The Insurrection Act is a major exception to the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. That law limits federal interference in state law enforcement. In fact, a federal judge ruled last September that Trump violated Posse Comitatus when he sent National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles without proper authorization.
Other presidents have used the Insurrection Act, but rarely. The last use was in 1992, when President George H.W. Bush sent 4,000 troops to Los Angeles after the Rodney King riots. The governor of California specifically requested federal help. That intervention followed mass violence, with 40 people killed, over 1,500 injured, and 3,000 arrests.
The situation in Minnesota is very different. The state has not experienced chaos on that scale. ICE operations, rather than mass civil unrest, are causing the conflict. Governor Walz sees no justification for invoking such an extreme law.
Trump has suggested using the Insurrection Act before. In 2020, he considered deploying troops to Minneapolis after George Floyd’s death. Last October, he claimed he could send troops to Portland.
The looming threat in Minnesota highlights the tension between federal authority and state control. It also raises questions about the limits of presidential power and the use of federal troops against civilians in American cities.
