Invoking the Insurrection Act Against Protestors Would Be an Escalation of Authoritarian Powers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act today over Truth Social, a move which would see him deploy military forces in Minnesota in support of ICE’s overly aggressive tactics against American citizens.

In response, Uzra Zeya, President and CEO of Human Rights First, issued the following statement:

“President Trump is endangering the American people and our Constitution by threatening additional authoritarian measures in Minnesota, where the militarized ICE and CBP presence vastly outnumbers local law enforcement. ICE has already killed one citizen and shot a man in Minneapolis, in addition to using pepper spray on school grounds and detaining school staff. Deploying military forces against protestors who are exercising their First Amendment rights would be a further gross misuse of executive power and endanger more lives.”

“The cruel and inhumane actions perpetrated by ICE in Minneapolis are the source of the violence—any further militarization of the city will only compound the crisis brought on by federal overreach—leading to more preventable tragedy.”

“Our government must uphold our Constitution and civic freedoms, the ultimate source of our national strength. Trump’s actions go directly against these, and Congress and the courts should put a stop to his overreach for the sanctity of our democracy.”