The Pentagon has placed 1,500 active-duty U.S. soldiers on standby for potential deployment to Minneapolis amid days of sustained unrest and escalating violence.
Anti-ICE protests and outright disruptions have taken place for months in the nation’s Democrat-controlled cities, though the unrest escalated following the shooting of Renee Nicole Good on January 7. Good, a Minneapolis resident and local “ICE Watch” agitator, was shot and killed after accelerating towards an agent who was standing directly in front of her vehicle.
Despite multiple angles of the shooting confirming the agent was struck before opening fire, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have urged protesters to take to the streets and have claimed the agent had no right to self-defense. The demonstrations have turned violent on more than one occasion and have resulted in several arrests of violent agitators.
In one notable example, a mob of rioters looted an FBI vehicle and stole a rifle following the shooting of a Venezuelan illegal alien who ambushed an agent with a shovel. The illegal alien was shot in the leg and was taken into custody, while federal authorities arrested a Latin Kings gang member and several other rioters in connection with the theft of the rifle.
🚨 BREAKING: Minneapolis rioters successfully BROKE OPEN a weapons locker in a federal vehicle and STOLE A RIFLE and ammunition before fleeing
I captured the thief’s face and license plate on the getaway vehicle.
PLEASE SHARE and HELP IDENTIFY this POS.
I have forwarded this… pic.twitter.com/7rwfIsN7v6
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 15, 2026
The violence escalated on Saturday, when a controversial right-wing activist, Jake Lang, was assaulted by a mob and allegedly stabbed when he attempted to burn a Quran not far from Minneapolis City Hall. Several other members of Lang’s group were also assaulted by the mob, some of whom suffered visible injuries to the head and face.
Elsewhere in the city, mobs were seen attacking random people they believed to be affiliated with ICE or counter protests. In one example, leftists attacked a man with a camo jacket, only to find out he was “on their side.”
For those unaware, after Jake Lang got beaten to a pulp and pulled away back into the crowd by the Democrat mob he was stabbed
They tried to murder him after he was already near unconscious from his injuries
INSURRECTION ACT NOW. Lock up protest funderspic.twitter.com/v7vihf4ObF
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) January 18, 2026
Late Saturday night, CBS News reported that 1,500 active duty military personnel had been placed on standby by the Pentagon for potential deployment to Minneapolis. These troops are from active-duty units, with reports indicating some are based in Alaska.
Separately, the Minnesota National Guard has been mobilized and is on standby to assist local law enforcement if needed. In a puzzling social media post, Governor Walz’s office said Minnesota National Guard troops will be wearing neon vests in an effort to distinguish them from other agencies.
The post raised eyebrows, as Walz has repeatedly claimed Minnesota is “at war” with the federal government.
Members of the Minnesota National Guard are on standby, ready to assist local law enforcement and public safety agencies. If our members are activated, they will be wearing reflective vests, as pictured here, to help distinguish them from other agencies in similar uniforms. pic.twitter.com/xopL7aOZnJ
— Minnesota National Guard (@MNNationalGuard) January 17, 2026
The potential deployment comes as President Donald Trump has hinted at using the Insurrection Act to quell unrest in Minneapolis. “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, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” the president posted on Truth Social this past Thursday.
Deploying the Insurrection Act would allow Trump to deploy active-duty U.S. military troops or federalize the National Guard domestically to suppress an insurrection or civil disorder. The president must typically issue a proclamation ordering “insurgents” to disperse before acting, though he can do so unilaterally in certain cases, or without state consent, if federal law execution is obstructed.
The 1807 law has been deployed 30 times in U.S. history, with the most recent example coming during the Los Angeles Riots in 1992.
