Trump has been seeking justification to unleash federal power under the Insurrection Act

Protests that began in grief and defiance spilled into confrontation overnight in Minneapolis, a turn city leaders warned would hand President Donald Trump exactly what he has been seeking: a justification to unleash federal power under the Insurrection Act.

The unrest followed another shooting involving a federal agent late Wednesday, the second such incident in the city in little more than a week. As tear gas drifted through south Minneapolis and police declared an unlawful assembly, Trump moved swiftly from commentary to threat, saying the violence could warrant the deployment of military forces to Minnesota.

Mayor Jacob Frey drew a sharp line between mass peaceful protest and the chaos that followed it.

“For anyone that is taking the bait tonight, stop. That is not helpful. Go home,” said Frey at a news conference. “We cannot counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own brand of chaos.”

Frey said thousands of residents had demonstrated peacefully across the city in recent days after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during a Jan. 7 operation.

Video footage released since then has fueled public outrage and sharp disputes between federal authorities and Minnesota officials over whether the officer acted in self-defense.

“And I have seen thousands of people throughout our city peacefully protesting. For those that have peacefully protested, I applaud you,” Frey said. “For those that are taking the bait, you are not helping, and you are not helping the undocumented immigrants in our city. You are not helping the people that call this place home.”

The latest flashpoint came Wednesday evening after a traffic stop involving a Venezuelan migrant whom federal officials say is in the country illegally.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the man attempted to flee in his vehicle, crashed into a parked car, and ran. During the encounter that followed, a federal agent fired and wounded the man. Authorities said the shooting was not fatal.

Within hours, about 200 protesters gathered near the scene, according to estimates cited by The New York Times.

Video from the area showed protesters taunting officers and throwing rocks and fireworks as police, wearing helmets and gas masks, fired tear gas and flash grenades to disperse the crowd.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said officers faced repeated attacks.

“The crowd is engaging in unlawful acts,” O’Hara said. “They have thrown fireworks at police officers, and at multiple times gas has been deployed. Police are attempting to disperse this unlawful assembly at this time. I urge anyone that is at the scene to leave immediately.”

The escalation appeared to confirm fears voiced by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Frey earlier this week: that disorder in the streets, no matter how limited, could be seized upon by the White House as proof of an “insurrection.”

Early Thursday, Trump issued that warning himself.

“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 on Truth Social, invoking a rarely used 19th-century law that allows a president to deploy the military to quell domestic unrest.

Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of using the Insurrection Act, both during his first term and again since returning to office, often framing protests in Democratic-led cities as existential threats to public order.

He has not invoked the law in Minnesota, and no declaration of martial law has been made.

Still, his language marked a clear escalation, coming as federal courts and state leaders continue to challenge his immigration crackdown.

Democratic leaders outside Minnesota reacted with alarm. Sen. Adam Schiff of California said the pattern of federal raids and violent encounters was endangering communities, not protecting them. Gov. Gavin Newsom accused the administration of deliberately stoking confrontation and warned that the death of Good could be used as a pretext for sweeping federal intervention.

Federal officials have rejected those claims, defending the actions of immigration agents and casting protesters as violent extremists. DHS has announced plans to surge additional federal personnel to the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, a move critics say will only inflame tensions further.

For many in Minneapolis, the fear is not just about what happened overnight, but what may come next. The city that became a symbol of national protest after George Floyd’s murder now finds itself again at the center of a familiar cycle: a killing, a crowd, a clash, and a president poised to argue that force is the only answer.

Standing before reporters, Frey urged residents not to play their assigned role in that script.

“This is already a very tense situation,” he said. “We do not need this to escalate any further.”