Pentagon puts Fort Bragg military police on alert for possible Minnesota deployment

The Pentagon has ordered several hundred active-duty military police troops from Fort Bragg, N.C., to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota in the event that President Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, according to a senior U.S. official. Officials described the alert as precautionary.

It comes on top of a recent order to 1,500 infantry soldiers from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division in Alaska and as many as 200 Texas National Guard troops. Mr. Trump has threatened to use the Insurrection Act in response to protests that erupted after a federal immigration officer killed Renee Good on Jan.

7, though he has since reversed course and suggested it was not necessary. The law would allow the president to send federal troops to an area to quell a rebellion without getting approval from local officials. Officials said the units being alerted are part of a standard package of forces designated for domestic contingencies well before the killing of Ms.

Good and the protests. Military police troops, who act as guards and law enforcement on military bases, are trained to interact with the public and can help direct traffic, control crowds or provide other support to local law enforcement. In late December, the Supreme Court ruled that Mr.

Key Topics

Politics, Fort Bragg, Minnesota, Minneapolis, Insurrection Act, Renee Good