There is an ongoing protest in Minneapolis that is getting difficult to control. This protest started on the 7th of January, following an unfortunate event, and has since then gotten worse. Some residents of the city have been killed during this protest, while some have sustained injuries. What is the United States response to this protest?
The Pentagon orders 1,500 soldiers to prepare to deploy to Minneapolis
About 1,500 soldiers have been ordered by the Pentagon to move from Alaska to Minnesota, where there is an ongoing protest against federal immigration raids. Two battalions from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division have been told to get ready for deployment to Minneapolis and St Paul, where there is a raid against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Following a statement to the Associated Press news agency, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell acknowledged this order and said that the military is ready to execute the Commander-in-Chief’s command and move to Minneapolis.
The ongoing protest in Minneapolis has led to a lot of casualties
In Minneapolis and St Paul, there is an ongoing protest against the federal ICE agents, deployed after the shooting of a Minneapolis resident, Renee Good. This protest has been vicious and has led to more casualties. Multiple people have been injured, and there have also been reports of death. A 36-year-old man from Nicaragua, Victor Manuel Diaz, is said to have died in ICE custody 12 days after he was arrested during the protest. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reported that a Venezuelan man was also shot in the leg by an officer.
Concerns have been raised over the detention facilities of the deportees
Human rights advocates and legal observers have raised alarms concerning the conditions of the immigration detention facilities. These facilities are considered to be inhumane and not fit for humans. Reports such as overcrowding, poor sanitation, and poor access to medical care have been made. And with these conditions, detainees are almost always subjected to excessive restraint and abuse during transit, violating international human rights.
Hundreds of Venezuelan men were deported to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT), which is a maximum prison in El Salvador, in 2025; similar to this mass deportation, also in the U.S. The decision to transfer deportees to an institution known for harsh treatment sparked a controversy. This controversy, which was supposed to be broadcast by CBS News in December, faced an unusual postponement. It was, however broadcasted on the 18th of January, detailing the extreme conditions of the facility.
Minneapolis’s Mayor laments as President Trump threatens with the Insurrection Act
In June 2025, the Pentagon sent 700 US Marines to Los Angeles to control a protest over immigration enforcement operations. During this period, President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which is a law from 1807. If this law is invoked, then the president can give more power to the military against the civilians in this protest. Despite the threat, he did not.
Following this recent protest in Minneapolis, he has once again threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act. However, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has cried out about this deployment. He explained that deployment to Minneapolis has only caused more problems within the city and has led to casualties. Jacob Frey believes that the protest is peaceful and there was no need for interventions from the ICE agents. However, the US Secretary of Homeland Security continues to assure that the confrontations by these agents will continue until the “dangerous people” are deported back to their countries.
Whether President Trump will invoke the Insurrection Act remains unknown. Despite the comments of the Mayor of Minneapolis, the ICE agents continue to do their job of detaining immigrants and returning them to their country, just like the immigration enforcement widening in North Carolina.
