Walz, Frey and other Democrats have said the move is an act of authoritarianism intended to silence critics of the administration’s actions. On Saturday, Walz also mobilised the Minnesota National Guard to support local authorities, but he has not deployed those troops. Minnesota officials have sued the Trump administration over the operation, alleging the surge in law enforcement there is a politically motivated violation of the Constitution. At issue in those jurisdictions was whether the deployments violated the Posse Comitatus Act, a federal law that prohibits US troops from carrying out civilian law enforcement actions. While that deployment remains legally contested, the President has more authority to deploy National Guard members there because it is a federal jurisdiction.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 18, 2026 19:26 UTC