Donald Trump said he would institute the Insurrection Act if local politicians in Minnesota do not put a stop to anti-ICE protesters. The US president accused the politicians in the state of being “corrupt” and referred to protesters as “professional agitators and insurrectionists”.

He wrote on his platform Truth Social: “If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State. Thank you for you attention to this matter! President DJT”

The Insurrection Act would give Mr Trump the authority to deploy military forces, including active-duty troops and the National Guard. It was created to clamp down on civil disorder, insurrection, or rebellion.

Before exercising these powers, the president is generally required to order those obstructing the law to disperse peacefully within a limited time.

It was last used in 1992 under George H. W. Bush to suppress riots in Los Angeles after the policemen who beat Rodney King were acquitted.

The 37-year-old mother was in her car when she was approached by agents and told to get out of the vehicle.

She briefly reversed and turned her car around to drive off, at which point Ross fired three shots – two through an open window and one through the windshield. Minnesotans have since taken to the streets to demand justice for her killing.

On Wednesday, eight people were arrested outside a federal building in Minneapolis as goups gathered outside to protest the presence of ICE in their city. They were also met with tear gas, pepper balls, and flash bangs.

In the same city, a federal officer shot a man in the leg after being attacked with a shovel while he trying to arrest someone, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.

It came during clashes btween protesters and law enforcement in the Hawthorne area, with local media reporting that demonstrators damaged vehicled believed to beling to the federal government.

The man was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries and the ICE officer was also treated for injuries, the DHS said.