Gov. Walz anticipates Pres. Trump could deploy National Guard to Minnesota
What role will National Guard have if deployed to Minnesota?
As President Trump deploys National Guard troops into cities across America in a proclaimed effort to reduce crime, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says his administration is bracing for the inevitability that troops will arrive in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. FOX 9's Soyoung Kim has the latest on what the guard's role would be if deployed to Minnesota.
(FOX 9) - As President Trump deploys National Guard troops into cities across America in a proclaimed effort to reduce crime, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says his administration is bracing for the inevitability that troops will arrive in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Minnesota National Guard deployment
What we know:
Speaking on Tuesday at the Minnesota Star Tribune's North Star Summit, Gov. Walz was joined by Illinois Governor J.B. Prtizker to discuss a wide range of topics – the same day that Texas National Guard troops arrived in the Chicago area at the direction of President Trump.
While noting that "none of this is normal," Gov. Walz said that Minnesota’s leaders were bracing for the potential that federal troops could be sent to the Twin Cities as well.
Joint pushback on Trump troop deployments
Governors in both Minnesota and Illinois are banding together in opposition of the Trump administration using federal troops as part of a supposed crackdown on crime in some cities.
"It would be logical for them to come here," Walz said in part. "We fall into exactly what it looks like they’re trying to target – blue cities in places that he wants to make an impact. You can certainly chill voting in states like Minnesota if you target Minneapolis and St. Paul."
Speaking hypothetically at the event, Walz and his Illinois counterpart also said they believe they could be arrested at the direction of the president over potential resistance to federal force.
"I’m asking any of you to come visit me in the gulag in El Salvador," Pritzker quipped at the event, drawing laughter from the audience.
National Guard troops set to arrive in Chicago
National Guard troops are headed to Chicago, as President Trump vows to quell anti-ICE protests.
Trump National Guard deployments
Dig deeper:
Although a direct objective remains unclear, Pritzker noted that additional National Guard troops from Illinois were also activated over the weekend as the Trump administration has increased its immigration enforcement in recent weeks.
President Trump has historically criticized Chicago, a heavily blue-leaning city, as being crime-ridden. Illinois has since sued the Trump administration in federal court to stop the deployments.
Trump has previously deployed National Guard troops to cities such as Los Angeles, Portland, Memphis and Washington, D.C.