Pentagon directs troops to prepare for possible Minnesota military deployment

US Military Deploys Troops to Minnesota Amid Protests Over Immigration Raids

The US Pentagon has ordered 1,500 active-duty soldiers in Alaska to be prepared for deployment to Minnesota. Two infantry battalions from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, specializing in arctic conditions, have been given prepare-to-deploy orders to Minneapolis and St Paul. The move comes as protests against federal immigration raids continue in the twin cities.

According to officials, the deployments are part of a larger operation involving 3,000 federal immigration agents patrolling the area. The agents have been involved in violent tactics, including the shooting death of Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good, 37, and multiple injuries to protesters.

The US Department of Homeland Security has reported several incidents, including the death of Victor Manuel Diaz, a 36-year-old from Nicaragua, who died in ICE custody at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas. A federal officer shot a Venezuelan man in the leg on Wednesday, while tear gas deployed by ICE agents injured a six-month-old baby and a child.

Human rights advocates have expressed concerns about overcrowding and inhumane conditions in immigration detention facilities. The Pentagon has stated that it is “always prepared to execute the orders of the Commander-in-Chief if called upon.”

The deployment of troops follows previous deployments of US military personnel to other cities, including Los Angeles, where soldiers were deployed to guard federal properties amid protests over aggressive immigration enforcement operations.

Source: Al Jazeera