Mayor Jacob Frey condemns Pentagon's 1,500 troop standby, calls move 'designed to intimidate'

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Sunday, January 18, criticized the Trump administration following reports that about 1,500 active-duty soldiers had been ordered to prepare for possible deployment to Minnesota. The comments came amid ongoing protests against expanded federal immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities.

Federal officials said no decision had been made on deploying the troops. Minnesota authorities said that National Guard forces were on standby but not currently deployed to city streets.

Jacob Frey criticizes reported military standby

Frey pushed back strongly against reports that the Pentagon had placed roughly 1,500 active-duty soldiers on prepare-to-deploy orders in response to unrest in Minnesota.

Speaking on CNN’s 'State of the Union', Frey said that the move was unnecessary and counterproductive. “This act was clearly designed to intimidate the people of Minneapolis. And here’s the thing, we’re not going to be intimidated,” Frey said. “If the goal here is safety, we’ve got many mechanisms to achieve safety.”

Frey noted the scale of the federal presence in the city compared to local law enforcement.

“Right now we have about 600 police officers, and they’ve got 3,000 or so (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents and (Border Patrol),” he said.

“That they are now talking about deploying 1,500 military, this is, well, it’s ridiculous, but, we will not be intimidated by the actions of this federal government,” Frey added.

The mayor also expressed surprise at the scope of federal immigration operations in Minneapolis, calling the situation unprecedented.

“I never thought in a million years that we would be invaded by our own federal government,” Frey said, characterizing the presence of federal officers as “ridiculous.”

Frey’s comments followed reports by The Washington Post and ABC News that the Pentagon had ordered active-duty soldiers to prepare for deployment in case violence escalated.

A White House spokesperson told CNN that it was typical for the Pentagon “to be prepared for any decision the President may or may not make.”

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, “The Department of War is always prepared to execute the orders of the Commander-in-Chief if called upon."

Minnesota officials emphasized that no active-duty troops or National Guard members had been deployed to Minneapolis streets.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety said the Guard was “not deployed to city streets at this time, but are ready to help support public safety.”

Minnesota National Guard spokesperson Army Maj Andrea Tsuchiya said that the Guard was “staged and ready to respond” and would provide support such as traffic control if activated.

Tim Walz activates National Guard amid unrest

The reported military preparations come as protests continued in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, by an ICE agent earlier this month.

The shooting sparked demonstrations in Minnesota and other cities and intensified scrutiny of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.

Governor Tim Walz activated the National Guard after the shooting to support local law enforcement, though Guard troops have not been deployed to city streets. Walz thanked local authorities for maintaining public safety and urged protesters to “stay safe and stay peaceful.”

Protests continued over the weekend, with tense standoffs between demonstrators and federal officers near City Hall.