President Donald Trump's administration will respond quickly to escalating protests in Minneapolis, including with options such as invoking the Insurrection Act and deploying the National Guard, former acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said on Newsmax, Sunday.
"I think what President Trump and his team are doing is making sure that they are ready to go at a moment's notice," Wolf told Newsmax's "Sunday Report."
He added that federal agencies "prepare in case President Trump wants to, you know, choose an alternative or choose an option at his disposal."
Wolf made the comments as protests in Minneapolis intensified, with reports of violence, hotels closing, and demonstrators attempting to reach locations where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are staying.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has mobilized the National Guard, and the Department of War has said it is preparing 1,500 Army soldiers for possible deployment.
Wolf said the administration is watching whether local and state leaders move to stop violence.
"We have night after night, we have ongoing protests that are turning violent," he said. "Is Gov. Walz going to do his job and put an end to this, or is he going to sit back and watch it happen, just as he did in 2020 and we saw portions of Minneapolis burn?"
Wolf said the presence of local police around federal property could be a turning point if arrests begin.
"Now, the question is, Are they actually going to start to arrest people? Because once that starts to happen, I think over time you will start to see those violent protesters start to dissipate," he said.
If National Guard troops or other military forces are deployed, Wolf said they would likely focus on securing federal sites and protecting ICE personnel, allowing immigration agents to concentrate on enforcement activity.
"If those are deployed, they will largely be deployed to help secure federal facilities and help protect ICE officers as they go out and make those immigration arrests," Wolf said.
Wolf also criticized Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said the city should not be "intimidated" and suggested additional federal agents or military personnel were not the best path to safety.
Wolf said the message from city and state leaders could encourage confrontation.
"We won't be intimidated implies that it's a you-versus-us type of mentality," he said. "The mayor should be going on TV and saying, look, we're going to work with ICE to remove dangerous, criminal, illegal aliens from our communities."
Wolf said Frey is "playing politics" and claimed ICE has arrested more than 1,000 people with criminal histories during the operation, contending the mayor is not being honest with residents.
Instead, Wolf said, "he is going up against ICE because he believes that's what will benefit him in the long run."
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