Tensions between Minneapolis residents and immigration enforcement is at an high following a shocking killing of an American citizen. In the wake of an ICE agent shooting Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, state Gov. Tim Walz gave a frightening warning to residents.
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“Minnesotans, do not take the bait,” he said during a press conference on Wednesday (Jan. 7). “Do not allow them to deploy federal troops in the air. Do not allow them to invoke the Insurrection Act.” For months, threats and rumors that President Donald Trump secretly wants to use the military to take over Democratic cities has been on the back on everyone’s mind. Now that residents and federal agents have reached a crossroads in Minnesota, Walz’s fears are coming to life.
“Do not allow them to declare martial law,” he added. “Do not allow them to lie about the security and the decency of the state. And let this investigation play itself out.”
Martial law is “a type of jurisdiction in which military authority temporarily replaces civil authority,” according to Cornell Law School. This means local agencies and authorities– picture a mayor’s office or sheriff’s office– would have virtually no power over residents. Instead, they’d be replaced by military soldiers taking orders directly from the president.
Trump has flirted with the idea of enacting martial law to quell growing unrest in response to his most controversial policies. Even though the president hasn’t explicitly unified the military against Americans, we’re already beginning to see him test the waters, especially in cities like Washington, D.C. where Black Americans are often subjected to discrimination.
2025 was largely shaped by Trump’s mass deportation agenda enforced by increased National Guard and ICE presence in cities across the country. He used these troops despite state leaders urging him against it. We previously told you, the president even continued the Guard deployment despite federal judges ruling against him. Now, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Good’s killing on Wednesday is the consequences of Trump’s negligence.
“They are not here to cause safety in this city,” Frey said of ICE agents after the shooting. “What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust.”
He didn’t mince words, telling ICE to “get the f**k out of the city before adding, “Long-term Minneapolis residents that have contributed so greatly to our city, to our culture, to our economy are being terrorized and now somebody is dead.”
Many think Trump’s goal is to infuriate Americans— especially Black folks— enough to justifiably hit the switch and declare martial law. With protesters flooding the neighborhood where Good was killed, all eyes are on Minneapolis to see exactly how residents and the president will respond.
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