‘For now’: Trump backs down on Insurrection Act threat in Minnesota; DOJ investigates Tim Walz and Jacob Frey

US President Donald Trump on Friday (Jan 16) walked back on his threats to invoke the Insurrection Act to deal with protests against immigration raids in Minnesota and said that there was no immediate need to “use it”. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the option remained on the table but was not necessary at this stage. "If I needed it, I would use it. I don't think there is any reason right now to use it," he said.

The Insurrection Act would allow Trump to deploy the US military domestically, bypassing restrictions that normally prevent soldiers from carrying out civilian law enforcement.

DOJ probes Walz and Frey

Even as Trump struck a more cautious tone, tensions escalated further. CBS News reported that the Justice Department is investigating Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over allegations that they impeded federal officers. Both leaders have repeatedly called for peaceful protests against immigration sweeps in the state. Governor Walz has accused federal agents of carrying out what he called "a campaign of organised brutality against the people of Minnesota".

Protests and shootings in Minneapolis

Protests have rocked Minneapolis for days, with demonstrators clashing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as federal agents stepped up operations targeting undocumented migrants. The unrest intensified after the January 7 killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, who was shot by an ICE officer during an enforcement operation. Federal agents have since fired their weapons in two separate incidents, including one this week that wounded a man from Venezuela.

Federal prosecutors have also charged a man accused of stealing a rifle from an FBI vehicle. US Attorney Daniel Rosen blamed local officials for what he described as the "incitement of violence against federal law enforcement... which resulted here in the theft of a firearm from an FBI vehicle."

Meanwhile, Good’s family has hired a high-profile law firm to investigate her killing, a step seen as a precursor to possible legal action against both the officer involved and the federal government. Lawyers for the family have demanded that all records and evidence linked to the shooting be preserved.