A Democrat governor is flirting with a constitutional showdown by staging his state’s National Guard against federal immigration enforcement after a deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis.
Story Snapshot
- Gov. Tim Walz activated Minnesota’s emergency apparatus and put the National Guard on standby after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good.
- Walz blasted federal immigration enforcement, rejected additional federal help, and framed Trump-era border and interior tactics as a political “show”.
- Republican members of Congress accused Walz of effectively threatening armed resistance to federal agents and urged President Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act and arrest him.
- The clash highlights deepening tension between aggressive national immigration enforcement in Trump’s second term and blue-state leaders who openly resist federal authority.
Deadly ICE Encounter Sparks Protests and Statewide Mobilization
In Minneapolis, a federal immigration operation turned deadly when an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good during a confrontation around her SUV, an incident now under investigation by the FBI and Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The shooting immediately triggered protests and renewed anger at federal immigration enforcement in a city already scarred by years of unrest. Demonstrators quickly gathered in Minneapolis and across the Twin Cities, focusing their outrage on ICE’s presence and tactics in local neighborhoods.
As protest crowds grew, Gov. Tim Walz moved to activate Minnesota’s State Emergency Operations Center, bringing together state agencies, State Patrol, local law enforcement, and emergency managers under a single command umbrella. His administration mobilized 85 members of the Minnesota State Patrol’s Mobile Response Team to support local police and sheriffs with crowd management, traffic control, and protection of key facilities.
Walz Puts National Guard on Standby While Condemning Federal Enforcement
From the governor’s office, Walz announced he had issued a “warning order” to prepare the Minnesota National Guard, authorizing Guard forces to be staged and ready to assist if protests escalated or if critical infrastructure faced serious threats. His team framed the Guard’s role as strictly supportive, focused on protecting property and infrastructure so local departments could concentrate on community-facing policing. At the same time, Walz condemned the federal operation, claiming it had put residents at risk and was more about political theater than public safety.
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Republican Lawmakers Cry ‘Insurrection’ and Press Trump to Act
Walz’s rhetoric about preparing the Guard while rejecting additional federal involvement immediately drew fire from conservative lawmakers in Washington, who saw his comments as something far more serious than routine protest planning. Several House Republicans argued that hinting at deploying state military forces in the context of resisting Trump’s immigration crackdown edged dangerously close to using a state militia against the federal government.
On social media and in interviews, GOP representatives including Mary Miller, Rich McCormick, Derrick Van Orden, and Nancy Mace labeled Walz’s posture “insurrection” and invoked some of the most explosive constitutional tools available. They urged President Trump to consider invoking the Insurrection Act, a rarely used statute that allows a president to deploy federal troops or federalize a state’s National Guard to enforce federal law.
State–Federal Standoff Amid Trump’s Hard-Line Immigration Agenda
Behind this showdown lies a broader clash over Trump’s second-term immigration strategy and the willingness of blue-state leaders to cooperate with it. Since returning to the White House, Trump has pursued tougher immigration rules, expanded enforcement raids, and increased detention and deportation efforts across the country. His administration has pushed localities to assist federal immigration operations and backed high-visibility actions by agencies like ICE and Border Patrol.
In Minnesota, Walz has consistently aligned with progressive resistance to those policies, criticizing broad ICE operations as destabilizing and dangerous for communities with large immigrant populations. His decision to stage the Guard while denouncing federal tactics allows two sharply different narratives to emerge.
Far-Left Gov. Tim Walz Mobilizes National Guard as Minneapolis Spirals Into Chaos https://t.co/Zd1aVdzxWF #gatewaypundit via @gatewaypundit
— Steve Beckow (@BeckowSteve) January 9, 2026
Sources:
GOP lawmakers call on Trump to arrest Walz after governor warns of National Guard move
Gov. Walz authorizes Minnesota National Guard to be staged
Governor Walz readies state resources, notifies National Guard to prepare to protect public safety in Minneapolis following federal ICE shooting
Minnesota governor deploys National Guard amid protests over ICE deadly shooting
Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan – Newsroom
