Tim Walz preparing National Guard after woman who attempted to run over ICE agent fatally shot

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz revealed in a press conference on Wednesday that he has issued a "warning order" to prepare the National Guard in the state if needed if rioting starts in the wake of an ICE agent shooting a woman who attempted to run over federal law enforcement in Minneapolis earlier in the afternoon. The city was the site of mass rioting in the wake of the death of George Floyd in 2020.

"I've issued a warning order to prepare the Minnesota National Guard. We have soldiers in training and prepared to be deployed if necessary. I remind you, a Warning Order is a heads up for folks and these National Guard troops are our National Guard troops. They're teachers in your community, they're business owners, they're construction professionals, they are Minnesotans. Minnesota will not allow our community to be used as a prop in a national political fight. We will not take the bait," Walz said. 

Walz said that "we’ve been warning for weeks that the Trump administration’s dangerous, sensationalized operations are a threat to our public safety, that someone was going to get hurt. Just yesterday I said exactly that." He called the shooting the consequence "of governance designed to generate fear, headlines, and conflict. It’s governing by reality TV, and today that recklessness cost someone their life."

"From here on, I have a very simple message: we do not need any further help from the federal government. To Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, you've done enough."

Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson stressed that Minnesota "residents and visitors have the right to peacefully demonstrate. We recognize that demonstrations are often driven by strong emotions, beliefs, and certainly a desire to be heard." He also said that officials "fully expect that the community will want to peacefully demonstrate their anger or frustration."

He said that lawful ways for people to protest include "getting together peacefully with others in public spaces, marching or walking not on roadways, making your voice heard through chants, speeches and displaying signs, being present in public areas where pedestrians are allowed, gathering in designated or permitted areas, and these actions will allow people to express themselves while protecting the safety of everyone involved."

Actions that could result in fines or arrests include "demonstrating on or entering a freeway on foot, walking on highways, throwing objects, starting or setting fires, damaging property or graffiti, using illegal fireworks, displaying or using illegal weapons, reckless or dangerous driving, especially near pedestrians, and certainly assault of aggressive or riotous behavior toward anyone," Jacobson said.

Jacobson said that a "warning order" for the National Guard does not mean activating them, but instead, "just some additional checks on equipment that already is ready at all times, and maybe some additional phone calls to service members who might be activated."

Walz later added, "To Americans who are watching this, if you're in Portland or you're in LA, or you're in Chicago, or you're wherever they're coming next, stand with us. Stand with us. Against this, this, this was so, so preventable, so unnecessary."

He urged Minnesotans, "don't take the bait. Do not take the bait. Do not allow them to deploy federal troops into here. Do not allow them to invoke the Insurrection Act. Do not allow them to declare martial law. Do not allow them to lie about their purity and the decency of this state. And let's let this investigation play itself out. Let's make sure we protect our neighbors. I encourage you to use your First Amendment rights and all of your constitutional rights, but do so in a peaceful manner."