“A shocking step.” Trump ordered the military to be ready to deploy to Minnesota. Two battalions, ready to intervene, amid anti-ICE demonstrations

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, “The War Department is always ready to carry out the orders of the supreme commander, if requested,” writes Politico.

The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty troops in Alaska to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, two defense officials confirmed Sunday, cited by Politico.

The two battalions, which are part of the 11th Airborne Division, will likely be accompanied by other troops from units around the country that will provide logistical and other support, according to one of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Alaska's two infantry battalions are being trained to operate in the Arctic and Indo-Pacific, top priorities for the Trump administration. They are not trained in crowd control.

Troops have not yet been ordered to deploy, but the move signals a potentially tougher approach from the White House after President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell the increasingly intense protests in Minneapolis.

The protests erupted following the shooting of two civilians — one fatally — by ICE officers in Minneapolis this month.

Trump said Friday, however, that there was no reason to invoke the Sedition Act “at this time.”

“A Shocking Step”

Speaking on NBC's “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Minneapolis Mayor Jocob Frey said any such deployment of active duty troops “would be a shocking step,” noting that the crime rate is down in Minneapolis and that “we don't need more federal agents to keep people safe.”

Frey said the protests and unrest are a reaction to thousands of ICE agents stopping people on the street and asking them for proof of citizenship.

“You know what causes even more chaos? The presence of these thousands of ICE agents and border control agents and apparently even the military potentially on our streets,” Frey said.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who, like Frey, criticized the presence of federal troops, mobilized the Minnesota National Guard to support local law enforcement but did not deploy those troops.

“It is normal for the War Department to be prepared for any decision”

Asked to comment on the possibility of the Trump administration deploying active troops, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, “The War Department is always prepared to carry out the orders of the supreme commander, if requested.”

A White House official added that “it's normal for the War Department to be prepared for whatever decision the president may or may not make.”

Tensions in Minnesota have flared between federal and state officials since an ICE agent killed U.S. citizen Renee Good this month and wounded Venezuelan migrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis while trying to detain him.

The Department of Homeland Security defended the agents in both cases, saying they were under threat, but Democrats and local officials disputed that characterization and argued the agents should not have been in Minneapolis in the first place.

Trump has sent in federal troops despite opposition from Democrats in the past. In June, Trump sent 4,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles over Gov. Gavin Newsom's objections, along with a battalion of about 700 active-duty Marines during the anti-ICE protests.

Trump also sent more than 2,600 National Guard members to Washington DC last year and recently extended that mission until the end of 2026.