Trump threatens to invoke Insurrection Act in Minnesota after another ICE shooting

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota state, following a second shooting in about a week by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"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," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

The US president noted that invoking the Insurrection Act will "quickly put an end to the travesty" that is taking place in the state.

On Jan 7, an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, leading to nationwide protests. The Trump administration said Good was allegedly attempting to run over law enforcement officers with her vehicle, while local officials argued that video footage indicates that Good did not pose a threat, and the agent involved acted recklessly.

On Wednesday evening, an ICE agent shot an immigrant man — a Venezuelan national — in the leg after "being ambushed and attacked" by two other people and the immigrant they were trying to arrest, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Protests continued following the second ICE shooting in about a week, and Mayor Jacob Frey said that the situation in Minneapolis is "not sustainable."

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said a crowd that had gathered at the scene of the second shooting was deemed an "unlawful assembly" and some people were throwing fireworks and rocks at officers.

The Insurrection Act of 1807 is a federal law that gives the president authority to deploy the US military domestically under certain extreme circumstances. Trump has repeatedly signaled his willingness to invoke the act.

In October, Trump told reporters that he is allowed to use the Act if courts deny his efforts to send the National Guard to US cities.