Some 1,500 active-duty soldiers in Alaska are preparing for a possible deployment to Minnesota, according to Politico. “The two battalions, which are with the 11th Airborne Division, would likely be joined by other troops from units across the country that would provide logistic and other support. … The troops have not yet been ordered to deploy, but the move signals a potentially more harder-line approach by the White House after President Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell growing protests in Minneapolis.”
“On social media, in press releases, and in public statements by its leaders, the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been implying that ICE’s street-level sweeps have netted criminals they call the ‘worst of the worst’ — and that Minnesota has been protecting those people from capture,” MPR News reports. “MPR News examined one of the lists shared by DHS officials on Monday, Jan. 12 and found that most of the people on the list had been immediately transferred to ICE custody at the end of time served in Minnesota prisons.”
On Sunday, a group of protesters interrupted a church service in St. Paul lead by David Easterwood, who is accused of being affiliated with ICE. Now, the Department of Justice says it would “come down hard” on the protesters, according to The Hill.
ABC News reports that “[t]housands of people have been arrested during ICE operations in Minneapolis over the past two weeks. Multiple attorneys allege that for some of those detained, including at least one U.S. citizen, the Department of Homeland Security is denying their constitutional right to see an attorney. Four attorneys told ABC News they have been denied access to their clients at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where they are being held, which they say would violate 5th and 6th Amendment rights to due process and the right to consult with counsel.”
It’s bitterly cold and ICE is everywhere, making today a good day to distract oneself by thinking about the Great Minnesota Get-Together, which announced prices for admission and parking for the 2026 fair. Some improvements are in the mix, too.
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