Monday, January 19, 2026- The Pentagon has placed about 1,500 active‑duty U.S. soldiers to prepare‑to‑deploy orders for a potential mission to Minnesota amid escalating unrest tied to federal immigration enforcement actions.
The troops, drawn from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division based in Alaska, are on standby in case authorities determine that the situation in the state especially around Minneapolis requires additional federal support. Officials have characterized the move as prudent planning rather than an imminent deployment, and no orders to move have yet been issued.
This development follows widespread protests and confrontations that erupted after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot a Minneapolis woman, leading to heightened tensions over immigration operations and public safety.
President Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the rarely used Insurrection Act a law allowing the president to deploy active‑duty military domestically if state officials do not curb violence against federal personnel, though it remains unclear whether he will take that step.
Minnesota’s leaders have pushed back against the idea of active‑duty troops entering the state, warning that such a move could inflame tensions further and arguing that local law enforcement and the National Guard can manage the situation. The readiness order underscores deepening federal‑state friction over immigration policy enforcement and how authorities respond to civil unrest.
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