(NewsNation) — A national security analyst said if President Donald Trump invokes the Insurrection Act in Minneapolis, it would mark a “huge shift” in federal protocol.
“We might be at a strategic inflection point in terms of what’s going on from a White House standpoint.” Hal Kempfer told NewsNation on Saturday.
Kempfer’s comments come after protesters and federal agents clashed again following a fatal border patrol-involved shooting of Alex Pretti. Pretti’s family tells the Associated Press that Pretti was upset by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and the recent death of Renee Good, a motorist who was fatally shot by an ICE officer on Jan. 10.
Trump earlier this week threatened to use the Insurrection Act in Minnesota as tensions have escalated between federal agents and protesters, who gathered in Minnesota and nationwide.
The Insurrection Act is a law that allows the president to deploy the military or National Guard to take part in law enforcement activity.
Saturday’s shooting by federal agents marked another incident involving federal agents. Another person was shot in Minneapolis on Wednesday, which was preceded by two others being shot in Portland, Oregon.
“That would be similar to kind of what we’ve seen earlier, sort of what we saw in Washington, D.C.,” added Kempfer. “But obviously, the mayor of Minneapolis and the governor of Minnesota do not want to see that at all. And it does set up a potentially politically precarious situation, but also a very dynamic situation on the streets of Minneapolis.”
Protest activity, barricades set up could help Trump invoke law: Analyst
Kempfer noted that the continued activity by protesters and attempts to barricade federal troops and agents could be used as a legal predicate for Trump to invoke the act.
“This is getting close to the stuff you kind of see obstructing federal law enforcement,” he said.
“And then there is a possibility the president could turn around and federalize either part or all of the Minnesota National Guard, which would deny Governor Walz the ability to even use the guard, the Minnesota National Guard, in his state if they are federalized.”
Kempfer said the narrative of “untrained” federal officers being sent to Minneapolis is adding fuel to the fire of what could prompt Trump to invoke the law.
“They went to the federal law enforcement training center,” acknowledged Kempfer. “They went through a curriculum of training. They were all selected to go there. Many of our veterans who have had a lot of military training, many of them come from other types of law enforcement, whether corrections or sworn officers.”
