TORONTO — The U.S. Department of Defense has ordered approximately 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for a potential deployment to Minnesota, where federal authorities are carrying out a large-scale immigration enforcement operation, according to two U.S. defence officials.The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of military planning, said two infantry battalions from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division have received prepare-to-deploy orders. The division is based in Alaska and is trained for operations in cold-weather and arctic conditions.One defence official said the troops would only be deployed if President Donald Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, a rarely used 1807 law that allows the president to deploy active-duty military forces to perform domestic law enforcement duties..The preparations follow recent comments by Trump suggesting he could use the law to respond to protests against his administration’s immigration policies. In a social media post on Thursday, Trump said he would invoke the act “if the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law” and prevent attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.Trump appeared to soften that position a day later, telling reporters at the White House that there was no need to invoke the law “right now,” while adding that he would do so if necessary.Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell did not deny that the orders had been issued. In an emailed statement, he said the military “is always prepared to execute the orders of the Commander-in-Chief if called upon.”.ABC News first reported the deployment preparations.Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act multiple times across his two terms in office. In 2020, he considered using it during nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. More recently, he has referenced the law in connection with protests over immigration enforcement.The act was last used in 1992, when President George H.W. Bush deployed federal troops to Los Angeles following riots sparked by the acquittal of police officers charged in the beating of Rodney King.Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has urged the president not to escalate the situation by deploying additional forces. In a social media post last week, Walz called on Trump to reduce tensions, saying the situation did not warrant further military involvement.
