The US Army issued prepare-to-deploy orders to the units in case unrest in the Midwestern state escalates, the officials told Reuters, though it remains unclear whether any troops will ultimately be sent.
Meanwhile, federal actions on the ground have fueled public anger.
Federal agents three days ago arrested three workers from a family-run Mexican restaurant in the city of Willmar just hours after eating lunch there, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
Threat of Troops Follows Surge of Immigration Agents
If US troops are deployed, it is unclear whether the Trump administration would invoke the Insurrection Act, a sweeping law that allows the president to deploy the military or federalize National Guard forces to suppress domestic unrest.
Separately, even without invoking the act, a president can deploy active-duty forces for limited domestic missions, such as protecting federal property, a rationale Trump cited when he sent Marines to Los Angeles last year.
The Pentagon could also move to deploy newly created National Guard rapid-response units designed for civil disturbances.
“The Department of War is always prepared to execute the orders of the commander-in-chief if called upon,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said, using the Trump administration’s preferred name for the Department of Defense.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the order, which was first reported by ABC News.
The soldiers placed on standby specialize in cold-weather operations and belong to two US Army infantry battalions under the 11th Airborne Division, which is based in Alaska, the officials said.
Meanwhile, critics say the potential military escalation follows a deliberate surge of federal immigration agents into Democratic-led cities.
Trump, a Republican, sent additional immigration agents to Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul early last week as part of a broader wave of interventions across the United States, largely targeting cities governed by Democrats.
He has argued that troop deployments in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, Memphis and Portland, Oregon, are necessary to fight crime and protect federal property and personnel from protesters.
However, this month he said he was withdrawing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, where the deployments have faced legal challenges and court setbacks.
Local officials have accused the president of federal overreach, saying the administration has exaggerated isolated incidents of violence to justify militarizing civilian protests.
In response, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is facing a criminal investigation opened by the Justice Department, has mobilized the state’s National Guard to support local law enforcement and safeguard the rights of peaceful demonstrators, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said in a post on X on Saturday.