The Pentagon has directed around 1,500 active-duty U.S. Army soldiers based in Alaska to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, according to two U.S. officials who spoke to Reuters on Sunday. The move comes as large protests continue in the state against the federal government’s deportation drive.

The officials said the Army units have been placed on prepare-to-deploy orders in case violence escalates in Minnesota. However, it is still unclear whether the troops will actually be sent to the state.

President Donald Trump last Thursday warned that he could invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces if state authorities fail to stop protesters from targeting immigration officials. His statement followed a surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents sent to Minnesota.

Tensions have been rising in Minneapolis after confrontations between residents and federal officers. Protests intensified following the death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, who was fatally shot on January 7 while sitting behind the wheel of her car. She was shot by ICE officer Jonathan Ross, according to the report.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey strongly opposed the idea of a military deployment. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Frey said such a move would worsen the situation in the city. “That would be a shocking step,” he said. “We don’t need more federal agents to keep people safe. We are safe.”

Despite the mayor’s statement, the Trump administration has already sent about 3,000 immigration officers and U.S. Border Patrol agents to Minneapolis to deal with protests that have been described as largely peaceful. However, clashes in the city reportedly grew more intense after the federal ICE surge and the killing of Good.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department is investigating an incident at a church in St. Paul. Protesters disrupted a church service to object to claims that one of the pastors also works for ICE. A video shared online showed protesters raising their fists and chanting “ICE out,” while a church leader criticised them, calling their behaviour “shameful.”

President Trump has repeatedly referred to a scandal involving the theft of federal funds meant for social welfare programs in Minnesota. He has used this issue as a justification for sending immigration agents into the state. The president and other administration officials have also singled out Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community while explaining their actions.

ICE agents have been targeting other immigrant groups as well. On Sunday, armed federal agents entered a house in St. Paul and removed a man who was wearing only shorts and a blanket. As this happened, people nearby honked horns, blew whistles, and shouted at the agents to leave. The man belonged to the Hmong community, which migrated to the region from Laos beginning in the 1970s after supporting the U.S. during the Vietnam War. According to the Pew Research Centre, about one-third of the Hmong population in the United States is immigrants.

In another incident reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune, federal agents arrested three workers from a family-run Mexican restaurant in Willmar. The arrests took place just hours after the agents had eaten lunch at the restaurant.

If U.S. troops are deployed to Minnesota, it remains uncertain whether the Trump administration would formally invoke the Insurrection Act. The act gives the president the authority to deploy the military or federalise National Guard troops to suppress domestic unrest.

Even without using the act, the president has the power to deploy active-duty troops for limited domestic roles, such as protecting federal property. Trump previously cited this reason when he sent Marines to Los Angeles last year.

The Pentagon may also consider using newly created National Guard rapid-response forces designed to handle civil disturbances. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said, “The Department of War is always prepared to execute the orders of the commander-in-chief if called upon,” using the Trump administration’s preferred term for the Department of Defence.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the prepare-to-deploy order, which was first reported by ABC News.

The soldiers who could be deployed are trained in cold-weather operations. They are part of two U.S. Army infantry battalions under the 11th Airborne Division, which is based in Alaska.

Trump has said that troop deployments in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Memphis, and Portland are needed to fight crime and protect federal property and personnel. However, earlier this month, he said he was withdrawing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland after those deployments faced legal challenges.

Local leaders have accused the president of overstepping federal authority and exaggerating isolated incidents of violence to justify military involvement. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is currently under a criminal investigation by the Justice Department, has mobilised the state’s National Guard to support local law enforcement and protect the rights of peaceful protesters, according to a post by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety on X.