Trump threatens Insurrection Act in MN

Second ICE shooting in 7 days raises tensions

By: Christopher Cann
Thao Nguyen
and Jeanine Santucci
USA Today

..... President Donald Trump on January 15 [2026] threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would give him power to deploy armed forces domestically, as tensions retched up yet further in Minnesota following a second shooting involving a federal agent.
..... The agent shot a person in the leg in Minneapolis on January 14 [2026] 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 form attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT," trump Wrote on a Truth Social post.
..... Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that she has discussed the use of the Insurrection Act with Trump.
..... "He certainly has the constitutional authority to utilize that," she told reporters. "My hope is that this leadership team in Minnesota will stat 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 Mitigation 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 January 19. [2026]
..... "Minnesota needs ICE to leave, not an escalation that brings additions federal troops," Frey said in a statement on X, calling it "federal overreach."
..... In a statement, Minnesota Governor 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 another night of clashes between protesters and fed lea angers 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 January 7. [2026] The killing sparked nationwide demonstration.
..... DHS identified the man shot in the leg January 12 [2026] as Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a venerable national the agency claimed was in the United States without authorization. The agency said he remain 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 att4empted 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 two suspects as Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna and Gabriel Alejandro Henanez-Ledezma, both from Venezuela. They also both allegedly entered the United States illegally.
..... The trio were arrested. It was not immediately clear whether Sosa-Celsi had retained a layer 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 agent have fired on at least 10 people since August, [2025] USA Today had 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 incident 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 bases is a recipe for disaster," said David Harris, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvanian 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 January 7 [2026] shooting of Good.
..... The agent, Jonathan Ross, sustained internal bleeding to the torso, DHS told USA Today on January 14. [2026]
..... 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 attorney 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 January 15 [2026] 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

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