The standoff between Minnesota officials and the White House reached a boiling point Thursday as President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell unrest in Minneapolis, while Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Governor Tim Walz of being “complicit” in the criminal activity federal agents are there to investigate.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Secretary Noem confirmed she and the President had discussed deploying the military to Minnesota following a violent clash Wednesday night where a federal agent shot a man.
“He certainly has the Constitutional authority to utilize that,” Noem said of the Insurrection Act. “My hope is that this leadership team in Minnesota will start to work with us to get criminals off the streets.”
“Shovels and Brooms”
The latest escalation stems from an incident Wednesday evening in Minneapolis. DHS officials stated agents were conducting a “targeted traffic stop” when suspects attacked an officer.
RELATED: Snow Shovel Ambush: Federal Agent Opens Fire During Violent Minneapolis Brawl
“What we saw was three individuals weaponized shovels and brooms to attack an ICE officer,” Noem told reporters. She described the agent as “beat up, bruised” and receiving treatment, but “thankful that he made it out alive.”
During the altercation, the agent fired his weapon, striking a Venezuelan national in the leg. Minneapolis officials said the man was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The shooting immediately drew crowds of protesters, leading to a standoff where federal agents deployed tear gas, pepper balls, and flash bangs.
Accusations of Fraud and Complicity
While Governor Walz has characterized the surge of federal agents as an “occupation” and a “campaign of organized brutality,” the Trump administration is framing the deployment as a necessary response to rampant fraud.
Noem linked the federal presence to the massive pandemic-era food fraud scandal in Minnesota, suggesting the Governor’s resistance to federal help might be rooted in self-preservation.
READ: Florida Rep. Byron Donalds Accuses Minnesota Gov. Walz Of Silencing Fraud Whistleblowers
“We are there in surged operations because of the largest fraud scheme in American history,” Noem said. “People who… stole dollars from those people who needed it and put it in their own pockets… Did it right under Governor Walz’s nose, and we believe that he didn’t just know about it, that he may be complicit in it as well.”
Walz has vehemently denied these characterizations. In a Wednesday night address, he accused agents of “kidnapping innocent people” into unmarked vans and urged Minnesotans to film federal interactions to build evidence for future prosecutions.
Constitutional Showdown
The rhetoric took a sharp turn toward military intervention Thursday morning when President Trump took to social media to issue an ultimatum.
“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law… I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT,” Trump wrote, threatening to bypass state leadership to “quickly put an end to the travesty.”
READ: ‘Over My Dead Body’: Minnesota Gov. Walz Digs In Against Resignation Calls Amid Fraud Scandal
When pressed on whether agents were violating civil rights by demanding proof of citizenship without reasonable suspicion, Noem defended the tactics as standard protocol for officer safety during “targeted enforcement.”
“If we are on a target and doing an operation, there may be individuals surrounding that criminal that we may be asking who they are and why they’re there,” she said.
The unrest in Minneapolis escalated last week following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a local woman killed by an ICE agent on January 7, an event that remains the central rallying cry for demonstrators.
Regarding the potential for further violence if the military is deployed, Noem remained firm. “If anything doesn’t change with Governor Walz, I don’t anticipate that the streets will get any safer.”
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
