Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has ordered the state’s National Guard to be “staged and ready” to support local and state law enforcement if needed following a shooting involving federal immigration enforcement agents in south Minneapolis.
“Minnesotans have met this moment. Thousands of people have peacefully made their voices heard. Minnesota: thank you. We saw powerful peace,” Walz said. “We have every reason to believe that peace will hold. Yesterday, I directed the National Guard to be ready should they be needed. They remain ready in the event they are needed to help keep the peace, ensure public safety, and allow for peaceful demonstrations.”
Walz signed a trio of executive orders in preparation for National Guard deployment. According to the governor’s office, troops will be tasked with supporting local and state law enforcement in protecting personnel, facilities, and the public.
In 2020, the Minnesota National Guard was deployed in response to civil unrest during protests over the death of George Floyd.
The move to put troops on standby comes after 37-year old Renee Good was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Wednesday morning during an operation in the area. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said she attempted to ram her SUV into a federal agent after impeding a federal enforcement operation.
Two thousand federal officers had been deployed across the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration and crime. It also comes amid a federal probe into fraud allegations against several Minnesota nonprofit groups in the Somali community.
Some officers went door to door investigating suspected fraudulent businesses while others arrested criminal illegal immigrants, according to DHS and ICE.
Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey disputed the federal government’s account and blamed Trump for what they called an unnecessary provocation by deploying federal law enforcement.
Protests against the deadly shooting have erupted in the wake of the deadly shooting.
Thousands of people have gathered in Minneapolis to protest the shooting. Additionally, demonstrations have been called in New York, Chicago, Seattle, Phoenix, Orlando, and Columbus, Ohio.
Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has taken full control over the probe into the shooting, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Federal officials said rhetoric by politicians against ICE officers has resulted in an unprecedented 1,300 percent increase in assaults on officers and a 3,200 percent increase in vehicle attacks.
Reuters contributed to this report.
