Trump Threatens Insurrection Act in MN 01/16 06:16

   President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke an 1807 law and 
deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal officers sent to 
Minneapolis to enforce his administration's massive immigration crackdown.

   MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke 
an 1807 law and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal 
officers sent to Minneapolis to enforce his administration's massive 
immigration crackdown.

   The threat comes a day after a man was shot and wounded by an immigration 
officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle. That shooting 
further heightened the fear and anger that has radiated across the city since 
an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good in the 
head.

   Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely 
used federal law, to deploy the U.S. military or federalize the National Guard 
for domestic law enforcement, over the objections of state governors. In 2020, 
for example, he threatened to use the act to quell protests after George Floyd 
was killed by Minneapolis police, and in recent months he threatened to use it 
for immigration protests.

   "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, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the 
travesty that is taking place in that once great State," Trump said in social 
media post.

   Presidents have invoked the law more than two dozen times, most recently in 
1992 by President George H.W. Bush to end unrest in Los Angeles. In that 
instance, local authorities asked for the assistance.

   "I'm making a direct appeal to the President: Let's turn the temperature 
down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are," Gov. Tim 
Walz, a Democrat, said on X.

   Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he would challenge any such 
action in court. He's already suing to try to stop the surge by the Department 
of Homeland Security, which says officers have arrested more than 2,500 people 
since Nov. 29 as part of an immigration operation in the Twin Cities called 
Metro Surge.

   The operation grew when ICE, which is a DHS agency, sent 2,000 officers and 
agents to the area in early January.

   Protests, tear gas and another shooting

   Protesters gathered Thursday night at the federal building that is being 
used as a base for the crackdown, yelling "shame on you" at the officers 
guarding the facility.

   Demonstrations have become common since Good was fatally shot Jan. 7, but 
this night's protest was slightly more subdued a day after the governor and 
mayor implored protesters to remain peaceful.

   "This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and 
at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe," 
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Wednesday.

   The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a class-action lawsuit 
on behalf of three people who said they were questioned or detained in recent 
days. The lawsuit says two are Somali and one is Hispanic; all three are U.S. 
citizens. The lawsuit seeks an end to what the ACLU describes as a practice of 
racial profiling and warrantless arrests. The government did not immediately 
comment.

   Similar lawsuits have been filed in Los Angeles and Chicago and despite 
seeing initial success, have tended to fizzle in the face of appeal. In 
Chicago, for example, last year a judge ordered a senior U.S. Border Patrol 
official to brief her nightly following a lawsuit by news outlets and 
protesters who said agents used too much force during demonstrations. But three 
days later, an appeals court stopped the updates.

   Shooting followed a chase

   Homeland Security said in a statement that federal law enforcement officers 
on Wednesday stopped a driver from Venezuela who is in the U.S. illegally. The 
person drove off then crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot, DHS 
said.

   Officers caught up, then two other people arrived and the three started 
attacking the officer, according to DHS.

   "Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three 
individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life," DHS said. 
The confrontation took place about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) from where Good 
was killed.

   Police Chief Brian O'Hara said the man who was shot did not have a 
life-threatening injury. O'Hara's account of what happened largely echoed that 
of Homeland Security, which later said the other two men were also in the U.S. 
illegally from Venezuela.

   The FBI said several government vehicles were damaged and property inside 
was stolen when agents responded to the shooting. Photos show broken windows 
and insults made with paint. A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for 
information. The FBI's Minneapolis office did not immediately reply to messages 
seeking more details.

   Classroom changes announced

   St. Paul Public Schools, with more than 30,000 students, said it would begin 
offering an online learning option for students who do not feel comfortable 
coming to school. Schools will be closed next week until Thursday to prepare 
for those accommodations.

   Minneapolis Public Schools, which has a similar enrollment, is also offering 
temporary remote learning. The University of Minnesota will start a new term 
next week with different options depending on the class.