Pentagon readies 1,500 troops for potential Minnesota deployment, officials say

US army issues prepare-to-deploy orders amid tension over ICE killing, though it is unclear if units will be sent

The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers in Alaska to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, the site of large protests against the government's deportation drive, two US officials told Reuters on Sunday.

The US army placed the units on prepare-to-deploy orders in case violence in the midwestern state escalates, the officials said, though it is not clear whether any of them will be sent.