Pentagon Prepares 1,500 Arctic Troops for Possible Deployment to Protest-Hit Minneapolis

 

Short Summary 

The US Pentagon has ordered 1,500 Arctic-specialist soldiers from Alaska's 11th Airborne Division to prepare for potential deployment to Minneapolis-St Paul amid ongoing protests against aggressive ICE immigration raids. The move follows injuries, a detainee death, and reports of tear gas affecting children. Protests erupted after ICE fatally shot US citizen Renee Nicole Good on January 7. President Trump has threatened invoking the Insurrection Act. Local leaders call the 3,000 federal agents an "occupying force," while DHS vows to continue until "dangerous people" are deported.

Long Summary 

The Pentagon has placed approximately 1,500 active-duty soldiers on prepare-to-deploy status for possible assignment to Minnesota's Twin Cities, where large-scale protests continue against federal immigration enforcement operations, according to US media reports on January 19, 2026.

Two infantry battalions from the Army's 11th Airborne Division—based in Alaska and trained for Arctic warfare—have received orders amid freezing winter conditions in Minneapolis and St Paul. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated the military is "always prepared" to follow presidential orders but did not confirm specifics.

The development escalates tensions surrounding raids by nearly 3,000 ICE and DHS agents, which began after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Minneapolis mother Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer on January 7. Protests have remained largely peaceful despite reports of injuries, including a six-month-old baby and another child hospitalized from tear gas exposure. ICE reported a 36-year-old Nicaraguan detainee, Victor Manuel Diaz, died in custody in Texas after his arrest in Minneapolis. A federal officer also shot a Venezuelan man in the leg.

ICE claims 2,500 arrests since the operation started, targeting undocumented immigrants. Human rights groups have raised alarms over detention conditions and past deportations to El Salvador's harsh CECOT prison.

President Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act to expand military roles domestically, though he recently said there's no current need. A similar limited Marine deployment occurred in Los Angeles last year for property protection.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey denounced the federal presence as an "occupying force" and "unconstitutional intimidation" on CNN, emphasizing citizens' First Amendment rights. Governor Tim Walz mobilized the National Guard but has not deployed them.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem insisted the crackdown will persist until all "dangerous people" are deported.

The potential troop movement—specialized for extreme cold—underscores the harsh winter backdrop to the standoff, raising concerns about further militarization of domestic law enforcement.