SUNTV Global Channel | News
January 16, 2026
United States President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy the military to Minnesota under the Insurrection Act as protests against intensified immigration enforcement spiral into violent unrest in Minneapolis and surrounding areas.
The warning comes amid days of confrontations between residents and federal immigration officers following the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent eight days ago. The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with protests spreading beyond Minnesota to other U.S. cities, according to Reuters.
Trump issued the threat just hours after another shooting in Minneapolis, where an immigration officer wounded a Venezuelan man during an attempted arrest. Authorities said the man was shot in the leg after fleeing from officers who tried to stop his vehicle.
“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.
The president has repeatedly attacked Minnesota’s Democratic leadership and has drawn criticism for inflammatory remarks targeting Somali communities in the state, referring to them as “garbage” who should be expelled from the country.
Nearly 3,000 federal officers have reportedly been deployed across the Minneapolis area, with heavily armed agents in military-style camouflage and masks patrolling streets as angry residents staged protests and confrontations.
On Wednesday night, demonstrators gathered near the scene where the Venezuelan man was shot. As tensions escalated, federal officers deployed tear gas and flash-bang grenades to disperse the crowd. After most protesters left, a smaller group vandalised a vehicle believed to belong to federal agents, spray-painting the message: “Hang Kristi Noem,” a reference to the U.S. Homeland Security secretary.
Since the enforcement surge began, federal agents have arrested both immigrants and protesters. Witnesses reported officers smashing car windows and forcibly removing individuals from vehicles. There have also been allegations of officers stopping Black and Latino U.S. citizens and demanding identification.
The Trump administration and Minnesota state officials have traded blame over the violence, each accusing the other of escalating tensions.
One incident that drew national attention involved Aliya Rahman, a U.S. citizen, who said she was detained near the site of Renee Good’s killing. In a statement, Rahman alleged that ICE agents dragged her from her car and restrained her despite her informing them that she was disabled.
“They bound me like an animal,” she said, adding that her repeated requests for medical care were ignored. Rahman said she later lost consciousness while in detention and was taken to hospital.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) disputed her account, claiming she ignored lawful orders to move her vehicle away from an enforcement scene and was arrested for obstruction.
DHS identified the wounded Venezuelan man as Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who entered the U.S. in 2022 under a humanitarian parole programme introduced during former President Joe Biden’s administration. The Trump administration has since revoked parole for Venezuelans and others admitted under the scheme.
According to DHS, officers attempted to stop Sosa-Celis, who allegedly fled, crashed into a parked car, and ran on foot. During a struggle, two other Venezuelan men reportedly attacked an officer with a snow shovel and broom handle. DHS said Sosa-Celis struck an officer, prompting the officer to fire in self-defence. Reuters said it could not independently verify the account.
All three men were arrested after officers entered an apartment. Sosa-Celis and the injured officer were reported to be recovering in hospital.
The Insurrection Act of 1807 gives the U.S. president authority to deploy the military or federalise a state’s National Guard to suppress rebellion or civil unrest. It has been invoked about 30 times in U.S. history, and courts have ruled that the president alone determines when its conditions are met.
Trump has previously federalised National Guard troops for immigration enforcement in Democratic-led cities, including Los Angeles last year—a move later ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge.
Meanwhile, a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll highlights deep divisions among Americans over immigration enforcement. The survey found that 59% of Republicans support immigration arrests even if people are harmed, while 39% believe officers should prioritise avoiding harm, even if it leads to fewer arrests.
— SUNTV Global Channel
