Updated January 18, 2026 at 5:07 PM EST
Up to 1,500 U.S. active-duty troops in Alaska are on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota, a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly has confirmed to NPR.
The move comes days after President Trump again threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to suppress ongoing protests over the immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis as well as clashes between federal agents and residents. Trump later walked back that threat.
The troops on standby are from the Army's 11th Airborne Division, which specializes in cold weather operations, according to the division's website.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Sunday in an emailed statement to NPR that the "Department of War is always prepared to execute the orders of the Commander-in-Chief if called upon."
Over the weekend, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz directed the Minnesota National Guard to prepare for possible deployment to assist local law enforcement and emergency management agencies, though they have not been deployed yet.
The Guard said in a Facebook post that these "Minnesota National Guardsmen live, work, and serve in our state, and are focused on protecting life, preserving property, and ensuring Minnesotans can safely exercise their First Amendment rights." If activated, members would wear yellow reflective vests to "help distinguish them from other agencies in similar uniforms."
The developments follow days of rising tensions, confrontations and violence stemming from what the Department of Homeland Security has described as its largest operation in history, involving thousands of federal agents, including those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday that it would be a "shocking step" if Trump sent the military into the city, too.
"To those that are paying attention, you've got to understand how wild this is right now," Frey said. "In Minneapolis, crime is dramatically down. We don't need more federal agents to keep people safe. We are safe."
Joseph Nunn, an attorney at the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program, said the Insurrection Act is a "break-glass-in-case-of-emergency type of tool." It is meant to be used when civilian authorities are overwhelmed by a crisis, he said, and not simply to quell protests — even violent protests.
"It would be a flagrant abuse of the Insurrection Act" if Trump invoked it now, Nunn said, "unlike anything that's ever happened before in the history of the country."
A tense several weeks for Minnesota
The possibility of military intervention capped what has been a tense several weeks for Minneapolis, St. Paul and other parts of Minnesota, which have been the target of the Trump administration's most recent immigration crackdown. There are as many as 3,000 federal immigration officers already in the Twin Cities or on their way.
Some locals have pushed back against the surge of ICE agents, which has led to an uptick in confrontations between federal authorities and residents. In one such incident, an ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in her car.
Late last week, a federal judge in Minneapolis ruled that federal officers cannot detain or tear gas peaceful protesters and those who are observing authorities, as long as the protesters and observers aren't obstructing officers.
The University of Minnesota, which is set to begin its spring semester this week, announced that it would offer some virtual options due to safety concerns expressed by students and instructors.
Also last week, it was reported that the Justice Department had opened an investigation into Walz and Frey, two Democratic leaders and frequent critics of the Trump administration. Frey called the investigation an "obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, local law enforcement, and residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our city."
Tom Bowman contributed reporting.
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