U.S. Army Places Troops on Standby Amid Minneapolis Protests

The U.S. Army has directed several dozen active-duty soldiers from a military police brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to prepare for possible deployment to Minneapolis amid ongoing protests against federal immigration enforcement. A defense official, speaking anonymously, confirmed these prepare-to-deploy orders, noting that such directives are routine and do not necessarily indicate imminent deployment.

Additionally, approximately 1,500 soldiers from the Army's 11th Airborne Division in Alaska have received similar standby orders.

President Donald Trump has previously threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act—a rarely used 19th-century law permitting the use of active-duty troops for law enforcement—to address the unrest. However, he later stated there was no immediate need to do so.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey criticized the potential deployment, stating, "It's ridiculous, but we will not be intimidated by the actions of this federal government... It is not fair, it's not just, and it's completely unconstitutional."

The Pentagon has not provided additional information regarding the standby orders at this time.