Minneapolis “Now Crawling With National Guard” Amid Ongoing Protests

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz mobilized the National Guard to support the Minnesota State Patrol and other local law enforcement during expected weekend protests in downtown Minneapolis.

“We are staged and ready to respond. We are not deployed to city streets at this time,” Minnesota National Guard spokesperson Army Maj. Andrea Tsuchiya told CNN earlier, adding that troops will help provide “traffic support to protect life, preserve property, and support the rights of all Minnesotans to assemble peacefully.”

Citizen journalists on X reported National Guard Humvees staging across multiple parts of the metro area throughout the morning and into the late afternoon.

https://twitter.com/ScooterCasterNY/status/2012586079757406650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

BREAKING: I just spotted two National Guard vehicles at South Cedar Ave & the I-94 eastbound on-ramp in Minneapolis. pic.twitter.com/Nsi3sB5QM0

— IRT Media (@IRT_Media) January 17, 2026

https://twitter.com/camhigby/status/2012616092024283627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

“Stay safe and stay peaceful today,” Gov. Walz wrote on X earlier today, adding, “Our public safety team has the resources, coordination, and personnel on the ground to maintain public safety and respond if needed. Thanks to local law enforcement for keeping the peace.”

Stay safe and stay peaceful today.

Our public safety team has the resources, coordination, and personnel on the ground to maintain public safety and respond if needed. Thanks to local law enforcement for keeping the peace.https://t.co/PX0o4ugKWa

— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 17, 2026

Daily Caller spotted what appears to be a ‘mostly peaceful’ protester…

Anti-ICE protester sits on a vehicle holding a gun in Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/V7eBPyjh2c

— Wid Lyman (@Wid_Lyman) January 17, 2026

Protest activity already underway:

https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2012603877967749446?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Pushing and shoving between Jake Lang’s group and counter protesters who showed up to disrupt his anti-Islam rally at Minneapolis City Hall. pic.twitter.com/1ZVNBEdKCO

— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) January 17, 2026

https://twitter.com/camhigby/status/2012624728062648718?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Overnight, CBS News reported that the Justice Department is investigating Gov. Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over an alleged conspiracy to impede federal immigration agents during deportation operations (read report).

Details remain scant about the specific comments by Walz and Frey that DOJ investigators have focused on, but there is a recent interview in which the mayor acknowledges the existence of a network of left-wing nonprofits organizing pressure campaigns in the city. He stopped just short of identifying which nonprofits were involved.

POLITICAL VIOLENCE: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey refuses to reveal the identities of the NGOs he's working with to organize protests in his city. The DOJ is investigating the groups with funding and directives from Soros and CCP-linked NGOs. pic.twitter.com/C9cWgIZ5VN

— @amuse (@amuse) January 8, 2026