Trump Signals Military Deployment Under Insurrection Act Amid Minneapolis Protests

By Solange Reyner | Friday, January 16, 2026

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated on Friday that President Donald Trump has the authority under the Insurrection Act to deploy federal troops domestically under specific conditions.

During an interview, Paxton said Trump “certainly has the right” to invoke the law in situations involving domestic violence, armed conflict with a state or individuals within a state that the state fails to address. Paxton also noted that the provision could apply if state governments do not act against violence or lawlessness, or when actions interfere with Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

Paxton cited historical instances of former presidents George H.W. Bush, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson using the Insurrection Act. He added that the law has been employed “when there’s out-of-control states who aren’t enforcing state and federal laws.”

The warning from Trump followed a shooting incident involving an immigration officer and occurred after an earlier fatal shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

The 1807 Insurrection Act permits presidents to deploy military forces during civil unrest but has been rarely invoked in recent history.