'Insurrection Act': Trump warns of military use as Minnesota unrest continues against ICE - What is it

US President Donald Trump early Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act after another shooting involving a federal agent overnight in Minnesota.

“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of ICE, who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Trump’s post came hours after a federal agent shot and injured a Venezuelan man on Wednesday evening in Minneapolis, sparking the latest wave of protests in the city.

The shooting further inflamed tensions in a city already on edge after an ICE officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good earlier this month.

At least 200 protesters gathered Wednesday night near the scene of the most recent incident, according to The New York Times’ estimate.

Video footage showed protesters overnight taunting and throwing rocks and other objects at law enforcement, as gas clouds filled the streets. Officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas and flash grenades in protesters’ direction, The Associated Press reported.

What is Insurrection Act? The Insurrection Act is a federal law passed in 1792 that allowed the President to deploy military forces within the United States under certain circumstances.

It authorised federal intervention when state authorities were unable or unwilling to enforce the law or suppress rebellion.

The act worked alongside the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which generally prohibited the military from engaging in domestic law enforcement except under specific exceptions like those outlined in the Insurrection Act.