Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has approved a request from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to allow immigration enforcement to use a military base in Minnesota. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has killed two Americans in Minneapolis this month.
The San Francisco Chronicle obtained an email from CBP requesting that the US decommission land at Fort Snelling as a staging area. The base is located just outside of the Twin Cities.
CBP plans to use the base to house hundreds of vehicles, ammunition, and aerial assets. Fort Snelling will additionally be able to house 500-800 ICE officers.
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requests support from the Department of War (DoW) to provide existing infrastructure to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP),” the email explained. A” component of DHS, specifically an area for parking approximately 300-500 vehicles and 10 storage trailers, a ready room space for approximal 500-800 CBP personnel, a space to house, maintain and operate five CBP Air Assets, access to a magazine to store munitions, and other necessary facilities to support operations in the Minneapolis, Minnesota metropolitan area.”
Hegseth approved the request on Monday. Additionally, Trump has deployed about 1,500 active duty soldiers to Minnesota that are on standby to respond if the conflict between ICE and protesters continues to escalate.
The approval is a signal that the White House is prepared to double down on its crackdown in Minneapolis. President Donald Trump ordered a large-scale deportation effort in the city. The residents of Minneapolis have protested the ICE enforcement operations, leading to confrontations.
In recent weeks, ICE officers killed two Americans in highly questionable shootings. Alex Pretti was killed by ICE agents over the weekend after they beat and disarmed him.
