The Pentagon ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for possible deployment to Minnesota following tensions after the shooting.
Sources within US President Donald Trump’s administration said that having troops on standby does not mean that deployment is inevitable or guaranteed.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Defence reported that two battalions of the 11th Airborne Division, based in Alaska, are on standby to prepare for deployment to Minnesota. He did not mention the specific tasks of the battalions, but noted that the actions might be similar to the situation in Los Angeles last summer, i.e. crowd control or support for law enforcement agencies.
A White House statement to CNN said that the Pentagon was “to be prepared for any decision the President may or may not make.”
News of troop deployment preparations came after reports of an expected surge in the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other federal personnel, including a small number of FBI agents. The increase in law enforcement personnel in the state comes as protests continue on the cold streets of Minneapolis.
On Wednesday evening, crowds of protesters clashed with federal immigration officers after a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot an immigrant in the leg following a scuffle. Earlier, 37-year-old US citizen Renee Nicole McLean Good was shot dead while driving her car on 7 January during a confrontation with ICE agents.
