The Pentagon has ordered approximately 1,500 soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell unrest in the state, according to several media reports this Sunday.

The president stated that "if forced," he would apply one of the most powerful emergency powers that allows him to deploy the military to suppress episodes of civil disorder.

The state of Minneapolis has witnessed several days of protests against federal agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the death of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis after being shot multiple times by an agent.

Days later, a man was wounded after being shot by another agent in the same area.

Following the president's threat, the Department of Defense activated two infantry battalions from the Army's 11th Airborne Division, based in Alaska, in case Trump decides to apply the law.

Several officials, in statements to The Washington Post, considered this to be "prudent planning" and that it does not mean they will be sent to the state.

In recent days, tensions between federal agents and state residents have been escalating. ICE members have launched tear gas and stun grenades to deter protests, and demonstrators have used fireworks against the officers.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who have condemned the presence of federal agents since Trump decided to deploy them, have denounced that the agents' actions go beyond immigration control.

Frey stated that the agents are trying to provoke protesters to create a pretext to justify sending troops to the city.

The last time the act was used was in 1992, under the administration of George H.W. Bush (1989-1993) in California, in response to civil unrest in Los Angeles following the acquittal of four white police officers accused of beating a Black motorist.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota National Guard has been "mobilized" by the governor to support local forces.

"We are prepared and ready to respond. Currently, we are not deployed in the city streets," explained Andrea Tsuchiya, public affairs officer for the Minnesota National Guard, to EFE.