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.

NOW: Seen in Minneapolis.

Video by @noturtlesoup17 @FreedomNTV [email protected] to license pic.twitter.com/lrmKBTDk9Z

— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) January 17, 2026

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

🚨 Minneapolis is now crawling with National Guard pic.twitter.com/OZuHQM2j9y

— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) January 17, 2026

“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…

🚨SPOTTED in downtown Minneapolis. pic.twitter.com/u7akZtdz1A

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 17, 2026

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:

🚨 JUST IN: Anti-Islam protest organizer Jake Lang just got DRAGGED into the crowd and ASSAULTED MULTIPLE TIMES, police are doing absolutely nothing

IT’S TOTAL ANARCHY!

Minneapolis police are STANDING DOWN because corrupt Democrats refuse to protect conservatives.

THE FEDS… pic.twitter.com/BNHSLGJYMC

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 17, 2026

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

🚨 Sheriffs deputies just pulled up and rescued a man being attacked by a violent mob.

According to the mob the man was hit “HARD” in the head.

This is the first time I’ve seen police help someone being attacked in Minneapolis. pic.twitter.com/KnOgpF4mVS

— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) January 17, 2026

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

Related:

• Biden-Appointed Minnesota Judge Limits Federal Immigration Enforcement Actions At Protests

*Developing. Check back for updates as protest activity is expected this evening. That said, temperatures in the metro area are currently 9°F, with lows forecast to fall to -3°F. Those conditions are likely to thin the turnout of the Grantifa and purple-haired white liberals, though Antifa and Antifa-aligned militant groups may still attempt to cause chaos.