Insurrection Act of 1807

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Well I' getting sick of writing about politics but seeing that Trump has again threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 I can't help myself. I'm afraid this is signaling a dramatic escalation in his response to ongoing protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota over federal immigration enforcement which is a move that could see U.S. troops deployed on American soil.

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The threat came in a post on Trump’s social media platform after another confrontation between federal agents and civilians. On Wednesday night, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a man in the leg during an encounter in north Minneapolis, after authorities said he and others attacked the officer with a shovel and broom handle. That incident unfolded just days after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, a local woman, sparking outrage and fueling protests across the city. In his social media message, Trump accused Minnesota’s Democratic leaders of failing to maintain order and described protesters as “professional agitators and insurrectionists.” He warned that if local officials “don’t obey the law and stop … attacks” on federal officers, he would “institute the Insurrection Act and quickly put an end” to the unrest.

Minnesota leaders reacted sharply to the threat. Attorney General Keith Ellison stated he would challenge any invocation of the law in court, and Gov. Tim Walz urged Trump to “turn down the temperature,” warning against further escalation.

The Insurrection Act is a rarely used federal law enacted in 1807 that allows a president to deploy active duty military forces or federalize National Guard units to suppress civil disorder, insurrection, or rebellion when state authorities cannot or will not maintain order. It represents a significant exception to the Posse Comitatus Act, which generally limits the use of the military in domestic law enforcement. Historically, the law has been invoked around 30 times, most recently in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots and almost always at the request of state officials.

Trump’s threat marks one of the most aggressive uses yet of a law rarely considered in modern U.S. politics and it raises profound questions about federal power, civil liberties, and the line between protest and insurrection. To all my friends in Minnesota stay safe.