US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807, which allows federal deployment of troops and National Guard forces, if Minnesota authorities do not allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to operate without interference.

“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. ... I will institute the Insurrection Act ... and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great state,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she discussed the possibility of enacting this act with Trump and that the US president has the "constitutional authority" to use it.

“My hope is that this leadership team in Minnesota will start to work with us to get criminals off the streets,” she told reporters.

In an earlier post, Trump said a judge had declined to block ICE activity, calling the decision proof that federal agents could continue their work. He said the immigration agency would proceed with removing “violent and vicious criminals” from Minnesota.

Neither Governor Tim Walz nor Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey immediately reacted to Trump's comments.

The warning comes amid an escalating immigration crackdown by the Trump administration following allegations that Minneapolis was involved in large-scale fraud linked to publicly subsidized day care centers, claims denied by local officials.

Tensions have further risen after a US citizen was fatally shot in Minneapolis by an ICE officer, triggering political backlash and demands for Minnesota officials to participate in an FBI investigation.

Trump has repeatedly deployed or sought to deploy National Guard units since his January 2025 inauguration, citing the need to combat urban crime, protect ICE facilities, and support law enforcement in cities including Washington, New Orleans, and Memphis. (AA)