The Minnesota National Guard said Saturday they are on standby amid escalating anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis — and revealed a distinctive item they will wear to set themselves apart if deployed.
“Members of the Minnesota National Guard are on standby, ready to assist local law enforcement and public safety agencies,” the state troops announced in an X post, which included a photo of two guardsmen with blurred faces holding guns and sporting neon yellow safety vests over their uniforms.
“If our members are activated, they will be wearing reflective vests, as pictured here, to help distinguish them from other agencies in similar uniforms.”
The military force has not yet been deployed but was mobilized Saturday afternoon by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to support local law enforcement and emergency management agencies amid weeks of intensifying unrest in the violence-plagued city, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
Photos shared on social media show guardsmen lining up their Humvees and prepping their gear.
“They are not deployed to city streets at this time, but are ready to help support public safety, including protection of life, preservation of property and supporting the rights of all who assemble peacefully,” the police department said on X.
Mayhem has overrun the Twin Cities since the shooting death of protester Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent clipped by her fleeing SUV during a heated confrontation at a rowdy protest on Jan. 7.
The fatal incident triggered waves of raucous demonstrations and violent, viral clashes between agitators and immigration officers, which resulted in the Department of Homeland Security deploying thousands of additional ICE agents to the chaos-ridden area.
While demonstrators have been repeatedly asked to tone down their aggression, frantic protests have left federal vehicles destroyed and government property stolen amid the pandemonium.
On Saturday, leftwing protesters attacked and allegedy stabbed pardoned Jan. 6 rioter and Florida Senate candidate Jake Lang after his “March Against Fraud” was met with violent pushback in Minneapolis, video showed.
Lang — who wore a bulletproof vest — screamed into a microphone, later yelling, “We deserve a future for white Americans” and “send the Somalis back,” before he was attacked.
President Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to flood the city with military forces if lawmakers didn’t help stem the anarchy.
The rarely used law allows the president to deploy the military or federalize soldiers in a state’s National Guard to quell rebellion — despite the objections of governors.
