MINNESOTA (AP) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz authorized the National Guard to get staged and ready to support local and state law enforcement to protect critical infrastructure and maintain public safety, should that become necessary.
He made the move following Renee Nicole Good being shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
In a statement, Walz noted that thousands of people had taken part in peaceful protests and added, “We have every reason to believe that peace will hold.”
The statement also said the Minnesota State Patrol has mobilized 85 state troopers to help support law enforcement efforts in the Twin Cities.
President Donald Trump and other Republicans have been critical of Walz’s handling of the sometimes violent unrest following the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, saying Walz should have deployed the National Guard sooner. Walz’s defenders have said he did an exemplary job under unprecedented circumstances.
