Tim Walz thought he could intimidate the Trump administration.
He crossed a line that no governor has crossed in over 150 years.
And Republican lawmakers demanded Trump arrest Tim Walz after he made this one threat that crossed the line.
Tim Walz Threatens Minnesota National Guard Deployment Against ICE Agents
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued a stunning threat Wednesday after an ICE agent shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
The shooting happened when Good allegedly tried to run over federal agents with her vehicle on a snow-covered street.
But instead of letting state and federal investigators do their jobs, Walz escalated the situation into a constitutional crisis.
"We do not need any further help from the federal government," Walz announced at a news conference. "To Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, you've done enough. I've issued a warning order to prepare the Minnesota National Guard."
Walz made clear he was ready to deploy state military forces.
"We have soldiers in training and prepared to be deployed if necessary," Walz stated. "I remind you, a warning order is a heads-up for folks. And these National Guard troops are our National Guard troops."
The Minnesota National Guard consists of 13,000 soldiers and airmen.
Walz was threatening to use them against federal immigration officers carrying out their legal duties.
That's not a protest — that's insurrection.
GOP Lawmakers Demand Trump Invoke Insurrection Act To Arrest Governor
Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) didn't mince words about what Walz was threatening.
"Invoke the Insurrection Act," Miller wrote on X. "Arrest Tim Walz."
The Insurrection Act gives the president authority to deploy U.S. military forces domestically and arrest those obstructing federal law enforcement.
It's been invoked about 30 times throughout American history — most recently in 1992 when California Governor Pete Wilson requested federal troops during the Los Angeles riots.
But Walz wasn't requesting help.
He was threatening to use state forces against federal agents.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) compared Walz's threat to the opening shots of the Civil War.
"The last time they did that was at Fort Sumter and it started the Civil War," Van Orden told Fox News. "If a state militia acts against the federal government that is actually a civil war. So that guy needs to shut his damn mouth now because he is calling for civil war. Walz is an absolute moron."
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) agreed Walz was threatening military confrontation.
"If he says with that intent to oppose — you're bringing in military force," McCormick explained. "I'm going to bring out military force to oppose a federal armed force. What does that sound like to the average person? Kind of like you want to go to war."
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) gave Walz a civics lesson about who's actually in charge.
"Someone remind him: Donald Trump is the Commander in Chief," Mace wrote on X. "And federal authority supersedes state authority. That's not an opinion, that's the Constitution."
"What Walz is threatening has a name: insurrection," Mace continued. "Mr. President, the law is on your side. Use it."
Trump Has Constitutional Authority Under Insurrection Act To Federalize Minnesota National Guard
The Insurrection Act allows the president to deploy military forces and arrest those obstructing federal law enforcement without state consent.
Both Eisenhower and Kennedy used the Act to force Southern governors to comply with federal desegregation orders.
Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard and sent the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock when Governor Orval Faubus tried to block integration.
The law gives Trump the same authority to federalize the Minnesota National Guard if Walz actually tries to use state forces against ICE.
Under federal law, Trump is the Commander in Chief of all U.S. military forces — including state National Guard units when they're called into federal service.
Walz doesn't get to deploy state troops against federal officers carrying out immigration enforcement authorized by Congress and ordered by the president.
That's not states' rights.
That's rebellion against federal authority.
The Constitution settled this question in 1788, and the Civil War answered it again in 1865.
Federal law enforcement operates under presidential authority that supersedes any governor's objections.
Walz ended his reelection campaign Monday after weeks of withering attacks from the Trump administration over a massive welfare fraud scandal in his state.
Now he's threatening armed confrontation with federal agents.
Republican lawmakers are right to demand Trump use every legal tool to stop this before Walz causes a bloodbath between state and federal forces.
The Insurrection Act exists precisely to prevent governors from obstructing federal law enforcement with military force.
Trump should invoke it, federalize the Minnesota National Guard, and arrest Walz if he continues threatening federal agents doing their jobs.
Sources:
- Lowell Cauffiel, "GOP Lawmakers: Invoke Insurrection Act, Arrest Tim Walz for Threatening to Use National Guard Against ICE," Breitbart, January 9, 2026.
- Fox News, "GOP lawmakers call on Trump to arrest Walz after governor warns of National Guard move," January 9, 2026.
- ABC News, "Minnesota governor says he is preparing National Guard amid furor over fatal ICE shooting," January 8, 2026.
- The Hill, "Gov. Tim Walz issues warning order for Minnesota National Guard after ICE shooting," January 7, 2026.
- Minnesota Governor's Office, "Governor Walz Readies State Resources, Notifies National Guard to Prepare to Protect Public Safety in Minneapolis Following Federal ICE Shooting," January 7, 2026.