Trump preparing 1,500 troops for Minnesota deployment amid protests

President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing 1,500 troops for potential deployment to Minnesota, The Washington Post reported Sunday, citing unnamed defense officials.

Neither the White House nor the Pentagon directly confirmed the deployment plans, but the White House told the Post in a statement that the War Department should “be prepared for any decision the President may or may not make.”

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The report comes just days after Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy U.S. military forces to Minnesota if state officials did not begin cracking down on anti-ICE agitators.

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“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota do not obey the law and stop professional agitators and rioters from attacking ICE Patriots who are just trying to do their job, I will start an INVOLVED MOVEMENT,” Trump said on the Truth Social platform.

Minneapolis and St. St. Paul is home to nearly 3,000 federal agents currently assigned there following a massive fraud scandal that shook the state late last year.

Protesters in the Twin Cities stalked and harassed federal agents conducting operations; This led to clashes and the killing of activist Renee Nicole Good by federal agents in the opening days of January.

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Aliya Rahman was taken into custody by federal agents near the scene where Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Tuesday, January 13, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Adam Gray/AP)

Trump eased the pressure in a statement Friday, saying he saw no reason to invoke the Insurrection Act at this point.

“I think it was Bush, old Bush, I think he used it 28 times,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House. “It’s been used a lot. If I needed it, I would use it. I don’t think there’s any reason to use it right now, but if I did, I would use it. It’s very powerful.”

The law has reportedly not been enforced since the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which began after the acquittal of four police officers who beat Rodney King.

Despite Trump’s threat, some Republicans oppose the idea of ​​using the century-old law.

Law enforcement members work at the scene after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent during federal operations on January 7, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R.S.D.) appeared to downplay Trump’s threat and was confident in local law enforcement’s ability to “handle the problems.”

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“Hopefully, not only local officials working with federal law enforcement, ICE and other agencies, but also local law enforcement officials will be able to resolve the issues,” Thune told reporters.

Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.