US President Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the rarely used Insurrection Act to quell unrest over federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.
He threatened to send in troops following a night of protests and vandalism in the Minnesota city after an agent shot a man in the leg. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated an officer opened fire after being attacked by three Venezuelan nationals with a shovel and a broom handle.
Tensions in Minneapolis have surged since the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an immigration agent last week, provoking nationwide protests.
The Insurrection Act, a 19th Century law, allows active-duty military personnel to be deployed for law enforcement duties within the US. Trump has previously hinted at invoking this law without following through. In a statement on Truth Social, he indicated that troops would be sent if Minnesota officials did not suppress 'professional agitators and insurrectionists'.
The DHS indicated the shooting incident stemmed from a car chase involving a Venezuelan national, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who had an earlier conviction for driving without a license. After Sosa-Celis exited his vehicle and engaged the federal agent, two other Venezuelan immigrants intervened, resulting in a confrontation where the agent was attacked and subsequently fired a shot, injuring Sosa-Celis in the leg.
The agent was hospitalized for his injuries. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem characterized the confrontation as an attempted murder of federal law enforcement personnel.
On Wednesday, clashes erupted between protesters and law enforcement in Minneapolis’s Hawthorne area, where police reported being pelted with fireworks and ice. The FBI is actively investigating the unrest after federal government property was vandalized and stolen. They are offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the recovery of stolen property.
The tensions following the deadly shooting are palpable, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey demanding ICE leave the city. Governor Tim Walz has made a direct appeal to the President, urging him to 'turn the temperature down' and avoid further escalations in the conflict. Despite intense scrutiny of ICE's operations in Minnesota, Trump has announced that immigration enforcement initiatives will persist, regardless of local dissent.
He threatened to send in troops following a night of protests and vandalism in the Minnesota city after an agent shot a man in the leg. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated an officer opened fire after being attacked by three Venezuelan nationals with a shovel and a broom handle.
Tensions in Minneapolis have surged since the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an immigration agent last week, provoking nationwide protests.
The Insurrection Act, a 19th Century law, allows active-duty military personnel to be deployed for law enforcement duties within the US. Trump has previously hinted at invoking this law without following through. In a statement on Truth Social, he indicated that troops would be sent if Minnesota officials did not suppress 'professional agitators and insurrectionists'.
The DHS indicated the shooting incident stemmed from a car chase involving a Venezuelan national, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who had an earlier conviction for driving without a license. After Sosa-Celis exited his vehicle and engaged the federal agent, two other Venezuelan immigrants intervened, resulting in a confrontation where the agent was attacked and subsequently fired a shot, injuring Sosa-Celis in the leg.
The agent was hospitalized for his injuries. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem characterized the confrontation as an attempted murder of federal law enforcement personnel.
On Wednesday, clashes erupted between protesters and law enforcement in Minneapolis’s Hawthorne area, where police reported being pelted with fireworks and ice. The FBI is actively investigating the unrest after federal government property was vandalized and stolen. They are offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the recovery of stolen property.
The tensions following the deadly shooting are palpable, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey demanding ICE leave the city. Governor Tim Walz has made a direct appeal to the President, urging him to 'turn the temperature down' and avoid further escalations in the conflict. Despite intense scrutiny of ICE's operations in Minnesota, Trump has announced that immigration enforcement initiatives will persist, regardless of local dissent.
