Pentagon Orders 1,500 Soldiers on Standby for Minnesota as Anti-ICE Protests Grow

On Jan. 18, 2026, the Pentagon ordered roughly 1,500 active-duty soldiers from the Army's 11th Airborne Division in Alaska—specializing in arctic operations—to prepare for possible deployment to Minneapolis-St. Paul amid growing protests following ICE's killing of Renee Good. No deployment order was issued. Gov. Walz mobilized the Minnesota National Guard. Trump again threatened the Insurrection Act before walking it back, saying there was no reason to use it "right now."