By Sabiu Abdullahi
United States President Donald Trump has warned he may deploy the military to Minnesota under the Insurrection Act as tensions rise over an intensified immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
The threat follows days of clashes between local residents and federal officers after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot U.S. citizen Renee Good in her car eight days ago.
Protests over the killing have spread to multiple cities, Reuters reports.
Trump’s warning came shortly after another shooting in Minneapolis. Authorities said an immigration officer wounded a Venezuelan man in the leg after he fled when agents tried to stop his vehicle.
“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,” Trump wrote on social media.
The president, a Republican, has repeatedly criticised Minnesota’s Democratic leadership and referred to Somali-origin residents in the state as “garbage” who should be “thrown out” of the country.
Nearly 3,000 federal officers have been deployed to Minneapolis. Armed personnel wearing military-style camouflage and masks have patrolled the streets while residents protested loudly and angrily.
On Wednesday night, crowds gathered near the area where the Venezuelan man was shot. Some shouted in protest, prompting federal officers to fire tear gas and use flash-bang grenades.
After most residents left, a small group vandalised a car believed to belong to federal officers, spray-painting: “Hang Kristi Noem,” a reference to the Homeland Security secretary.
Since the enforcement surge began, federal agents have arrested both immigrants and protesters. In some cases, officers smashed windows and removed people from vehicles. They have also faced criticism for demanding identification from Black and Latino U.S. citizens.
Both the Trump administration and Minnesota officials have blamed each other for fueling anger and violence.One widely reported incident involved U.S. citizen Aliya Rahman, who was detained near the site of Good’s killing.
She told Reuters, “They dragged me from my car and bound me like an animal, even after I told them that I was disabled.”
Rahman added that she repeatedly requested medical attention while in ICE custody but was taken to a detention centre instead. She said she later lost consciousness in a cell and was transported to a hospital.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said an “agitator” ignored an officer’s orders to move her vehicle away from an enforcement action and was arrested for obstruction.
The wounded Venezuelan man, identified by DHS as Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, entered the U.S. in 2022 under former President Joe Biden’s humanitarian parole programme.
The Trump administration has since revoked parole granted to Venezuelans and others admitted under the programme.According to DHS, officers attempted to stop Sosa-Celis in his vehicle.
He fled, crashed into a parked car, and ran on foot. During a struggle, two other Venezuelan men allegedly attacked an officer with a snow shovel and broom handle.