Trump threatens Insurrection Act in MN

Christopher Cann, Thao Nguyen

and Jeanine Santucci

USA TODAY

President Donald Trump on Jan.15 threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would give him power to deploy armed forces domestically, as tensions ratcheted up yet further in Minnesota following a second shooting involving a federal agent.

The agent shot a person in the leg in Minneapolis on Jan.14 after allegedly being assaulted during an arrest, the Department of Homeland Security said.

'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 Truth Social post.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Trump 'certainly has the constitutional authority' to use the act. 'My hope is that this leadership team in Minnesota will start to work with us to get criminals off the streets.'

Noem defended the actions of agents in Minnesota: 'Every single action that our ICE officers take is according to the law and following protocols that we have used for years,' she said, adding that there are 'no plans to pull out of Minnesota.'

State and local officials in Minnesota, who have sued to halt the federal intervention, described Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions as 'intolerable.' DHS has sent about 3,000 federal agents into the Minneapolis area, dwarfing the local police presence. A federal judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order to halt the operations but ordered the Trump administration to respond by Jan. 19. In addition, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the Trump administration Jan. 15 alleging that federal agents have violated the constitutional rights of Minnesota residents.

After Trump’s post, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey renewed his opposition. 'Minnesota needs ICE to leave, not an escalation that brings additional federal troops,' Frey said in a statement on X, calling it 'federal overreach.'

In a statement, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said, 'I am making a direct appeal to the President: Let’s turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are.'

Trump’s threat followed a night of clashes between protesters and federal agents in Minneapolis. Local media reported that hundreds of protesters gathered near the second shooting scene, clashing with federal officers who deployed gas and rubber-coated bullets. The city has been on edge since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, on Jan. 7.

DHS identified the man shot in the leg Jan. 14 as Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national the agency claimed was in the United States without authorization. The agency said he remained hospitalized.

The agency alleged Sosa-Celis fled from a targeted traffic stop in a vehicle but crashed into a parked car and took off on foot. An officer attempted to take him into custody and a struggle ensued, the agency said. Federal authorities said two people came out of a nearby apartment and attacked the officer with a snow shovel and broom handle.

'Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot,' the agency said on X.

DHS identified the other suspects as Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna and and Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma, both from Venezuela. They also both allegedly entered the country illegally.

The trio were arrested. It was not immediately clear whether Sosa-Celis had retained a lawyer or what charges he faced. Officials said Sosa-Celis was previously convicted for driving without a license and arrested on two counts of giving a false name to a police officer.

In a statement, the Minnesota Department of Criminal Apprehension said it is investigating a 'use-of-force incident' involving an ICE officer.

Immigration agents have fired on at least 10 people since August, USA TODAY has found. In each case, agents shot at drivers or into moving cars – a practice that has largely been discouraged by law enforcement because of risks to public safety.

Footage of the incidents show agents swarming vehicles, smashing windows and trying to pry open car doors within seconds of approaching drivers. On multiple occasions, body-camera video and cellphone footage contradicted federal officials’ initial claims about the shootings.

Policing experts and former law enforcement officials said many of the tactics being used by federal agents – from reaching into vehicles to stepping into the path of cars – are in contrast to well-known policing standards.

'The growing number of incidents where we see agents resorting to deadly force without any reasonable basis is a recipe for disaster,' said David Harris, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania who focuses on police procedure. 'These actions don’t reflect the current thinking of law enforcement generally or best practices.'

Additional information also emerged about the Jan. 7 shooting of Good.

The agent, Jonathan Ross, sustained internal bleeding to the torso, DHS told USA TODAY on Jan. 14.

The extent of Ross’ internal bleeding was not immediately clear. DHS declined to answer USA TODAY’s additional questions.

According to family and attorneys, Good and her wife were driving with their dog after dropping off her 6-year-old at school when they came across federal agents in their neighborhood engaged in immigration action. The couple stopped 'to observe, with the intention of supporting and helping their neighbors,' family attorneys in a letter shared with USA TODAY, adding, 'Nae was the beautiful light of our family and brought joy to anyone she met. She was relentlessly hopeful and optimistic which was contagious.'

Lawyers representing the family said they are launching a 'civil investigation' and intend to take legal action against the federal government.

ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan said on social media Jan. 15 that she is leaving her post, thanking Trump and Noem. She did not say why; multiple news outlets, including Fox News and CBS News, reported Sheahan planned to run for Congress.

Contributing: Reuters; Michael Loria, N’dea Yancey-Bragg, Kate Perez and Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY