Washington, DC [US], January 18 : US President Donald Trump defended intensified federal immigration enforcement following a deadly Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Minneapolis, sharply criticising Minnesota leaders and the backlash to the raids while reiterating his hard-line stance on immigration.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that "ICE is removing some of the most violent criminals in the World from our Country, and bring them back home, where they belong." He questioned why Minnesota officials were resisting the enforcement efforts and urged them to stop what he described as shielding violent offenders.
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115916047821747370
"Why is Minnesota fighting this? Do they really want murderers and drug dealers to be ensconced in their community?" Trump wrote, framing the issue in terms of crime and public safety.
Trump also criticised protesters opposing ICE raids, calling them "highly paid professional agitators and anarchists" and alleging that state politicians were using the unrest to divert attention from alleged political scandals.
"The crooked Governor and 'Congresswoman' Omar, who married her brother, don't mind because it keeps the focus of attention off the 18 Billion Dollar, Plus, FRAUD, that has taken place in the State! Don't worry, we're on it!" Trump posted.
Trump's remarks come as tensions remain high in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good during a federal immigration enforcement operation, triggering protests and renewed debate over ICE tactics and the use of force.
Minneapolis has witnessed tense demonstrations against the Trump administration's deployment of federal agents to the city for an immigration crackdown, raising questions over what these officers can do on the ground and how Trump can respond, CNN reported.
As the protests have intensified, Trump has threatened to take the extreme step of invoking the Insurrection Act to crack down on the unrest, CNN reported. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also suggested that people may be asked to "validate their identity" in some cases.
Amid these developments, the Pentagon has ordered around 1,500 active-duty soldiers to be prepared for a possible deployment to Minnesota, The Hill reported, citing multiple media reports quoting unnamed defence officials.
News outlets said the troops are from the Army's 11th Airborne Division, based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, which specialises in cold-weather operations. The unnamed defence officials said the Army has placed units on standby in case violence in Minnesota escalates, though it remains unclear whether the soldiers will be sent.
"We are taking prudent steps to prepare active-duty Army forces," a defence official told ABC News, which first reported on the potential deployment. "This doesn't mean they will deploy; we are preparing options."
A White House official told The Hill that "it's typical" for the Pentagon "to be prepared for any decision the President may or may not make."
"The Department of War is always prepared to execute the orders of the Commander-in-Chief if called upon," chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement to The Hill.
Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act, hours after a federal officer shot and injured a man on Wednesday evening in Minneapolis, sparking the latest wave of protests.
"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," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
However, Trump said on Friday there was no need to invoke the law at present, telling reporters, "I don't think there's any reason right now to use it, but if I needed it, I'd use it."
The shooting of a Venezuelan migrant, which was reported to have taken place after a federal officer was attacked while following the man on foot during a traffic stop, further escalated tensions in a city already unsettled after the death of Renee Good earlier this month.
The Insurrection Act allows the president to deploy military troops domestically to contain civil unrest. The last time it was invoked was in the early 1990s.