Army Orders Troops On Standby Amid Minneapolis Immigration Protests
5 days ago
The U.S. Army has ordered several dozen additional active‑duty soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minneapolis as protests continue over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown.
Defense officials say members of an Army military police brigade stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, have received “prepare‑to‑deploy” orders, meaning they must be ready to move if needed to support civil authorities. About 1,500 active‑duty soldiers from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division based in Alaska have also received similar standby orders.
Officials stressed that such orders are routine and do not necessarily mean the troops will be sent — they are precautionary measures in case unrest escalates.
The move follows weeks of protests in Minneapolis tied to federal immigration enforcement operations that began after a fatal confrontation between an ICE agent and a local resident. President Trump previously threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act — a seldom‑used law that would allow active‑duty forces to support domestic law enforcement — but later said it wasn’t needed at this time.
Local leaders, including Minnesota’s governor and Minneapolis’s mayor, have urged calm and discouraged the deployment of additional federal troops, saying civilian law enforcement and community engagement are the path toward restoring stability.
Defense officials say members of an Army military police brigade stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, have received “prepare‑to‑deploy” orders, meaning they must be ready to move if needed to support civil authorities. About 1,500 active‑duty soldiers from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division based in Alaska have also received similar standby orders.
Officials stressed that such orders are routine and do not necessarily mean the troops will be sent — they are precautionary measures in case unrest escalates.
The move follows weeks of protests in Minneapolis tied to federal immigration enforcement operations that began after a fatal confrontation between an ICE agent and a local resident. President Trump previously threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act — a seldom‑used law that would allow active‑duty forces to support domestic law enforcement — but later said it wasn’t needed at this time.
Local leaders, including Minnesota’s governor and Minneapolis’s mayor, have urged calm and discouraged the deployment of additional federal troops, saying civilian law enforcement and community engagement are the path toward restoring stability.
