Democrats Demand White House Reveal Insurrection Act Plans After Minneapolis Protests

By Sam Barron | Wednesday, 17 June 2026 05:00 PM EDT
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have sent a letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles seeking more answers following reports that senior administration staff considered invoking the Insurrection Act in Minneapolis amid widespread protests.

Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, has reportedly called for suspending habeas corpus rights in deportation cases involving illegal aliens.

After Alex Pretti was shot to death in January by federal immigration agents, Vice President JD Vance and Miller advocated invoking the Insurrection Act and deploying the military in Minneapolis as protests gripped the city.

“In light of this disclosure, we demand that you immediately provide records and documents which outline a draft plan by senior members of the Administration to effectively subvert the Constitution on a massive scale,” Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, wrote to Wiles.

“Stephen Miller’s purported efforts to suspend habeas corpus threaten our constitution and Americans’ civil rights,” Garcia added. “Without it, hundreds of immigrants, lawful residents, and US citizens detained since January 2025 would be deprived of a key legal tool to defend themselves against arbitrary, violent, and racially profiled ICE arrests.”

Garcia argued habeas corpus may only be suspended during times of rebellion or invasion and that invoking the Insurrection Act would have made the situation in Minneapolis more fraught.

“A President declaring a suspension of the writ without authorization from Congress would be undoubtedly illegal,” Garcia said.

Democrats on the Oversight Committee said they want all documents, records, and communications regarding the suspension of habeas corpus, as well as records of the meeting in which Vance advocated invoking the Insurrection Act.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson responded that “Members of the administration often have conversations about many different lawful options to implement the president’s agenda, with the president always being the ultimate decider.”