MILWAUKEE — President Trump is threatening to invoke the rarely used Insurrection Act to send military troops to Minneapolis, sparking debate about the scope and appropriate use of the federal law.

RELATED CONTENT | Second ICE shooting in Minneapolis escalates tensions as protesters demand federal withdrawal

The Insurrection Act gives the president authority to deploy military forces inside the United States, but legal experts say how and when it’s used remains open for debate.

“An extreme use of power, and that’s why it’s only been used 30 times,” said Michael Rosen, a Milwaukee union activist and advocate.

The law has been invoked throughout Rosen’s lifetime, though never during events he attended as a union advocate.

He’s not an expert on the law but a long-time observer. Rosen believes the act can be justified in certain circumstances, pointing to its use during the 1992 Los Angeles riots when state officials requested federal help, or to enforce school desegregation in the South during the 1960s.

“The use of the Insurrection Act is legitimate when the federal law, in this case, desegregation, is being broken and local law enforcement can not and will not enforce the law,” Rosen said.

Watch: We asked two people in Milwaukee about the Insurrection Act – here’s what they told us

We asked two people in Milwaukee about the Insurrection Act – here’s what they told us

In a Truth Social post, Trump threatened to use the Insurrection Act “if the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitator and insurrectionist.” However, Rosen disagrees with this approach.

The Insurrection Act has been used about 30 times by 17 presidents throughout American history.

Patrick Sobkowski, who has a legal background and teaches American history and constitutional law at Marquette University, explains the law’s broad scope.

“It gives the president pretty broad authority to determine whether there is a sufficient domestic emergency,” Sobkowski said.

He notes there’s a reason the act has been rarely used throughout history.

“People from both sides of the political aisle have just kind of accepted as the correct or proper thing to do, and in America, we tend to think that too much power in the hands of one person is not a good thing,” Sobkowski said.

Some legal experts say various versions of the more than 200-year-old law are due for another update to provide more clarity on when it can and cannot be used.

This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.

Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.

Report a typo or error

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office has been called to a shooting near 34th and Walnut in Milwaukee on Thursday, Jan. 15.

No additional details have been released – including the circumstances that led to the shooting or the identity of the victim.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

FOX6 News is working to gather information about this incident. When we have more information, we will update this post. 

MILWAUKEE — For many Milwaukee residents, it may become increasingly difficult to find access to fresh food.

Jonathan Hansen is the chief strategy officer for Hunger Task Force, a free, local food bank in Milwaukee. Hansen said Hunger Task Force has noticed a significant increase of need from the community. 

“Everyone is feeling that pinch right now,” said Hansen. “Particularly families who are struggling with unemployment.” 

He said grocery store chains scaling back and closing some locations makes it even harder. 

The most recent store closure was on Jan. 11, when the Aldi on North Sherman Boulevard closed. A spokesperson with Aldi said the closure “is a part of a strategic effort to better allocate resources and continue providing a high-quality shopping experience at our nearby stores.”

Aldi also announced it’s opening 180 new stores across 31 states in 2026. 

Milwuakee Alderwoman Andrea Pratt issued the following statement in light of the Aldi closure, saying, in-part: 

“The closing is disappointing and will make it more difficult for many regular customers – especially those who do not have access to a vehicle – to obtain their groceries and other critical items.

“Additionally, it is just the latest development in a trend of recent divestment from neighborhoods where there are already few fresh food resources available to residents. Therecent closures of Pick ‘n Save stores nearby (35th and North and on Silver Spring Dr. in Glendale) are making it so that residents must travel significantly farther to secure their food, necessities, and medications.

“I will be working closely with city staff and our local business community to see what we can do to attract new grocery outlets to the 1st District and the north side.”

Hansen said there’s options for residents in who are unable to travel far for groceries. The Hunger Task Force Mobile Market travels Monday through Friday throughout the county where residents have limited access to fresh and healthy foods. 

“We see the instance of a grocery store closing or we see a neighborhood overtime that lost resources to healthy foods or to a grocery store,” said Hansen. “We’re able to pivot and send the market to those neighborhoods to help to address needs.” 

The closest mobile market to the closed Aldi on North Sherman Boulevard is at Meinecke Plaza. The market will be there the first Monday of every month at 4 p.m. 

The African American Roundtable is also fighting food insecurity through a campaign it’s launching this spring. Ryeshia Farmer said this will benefit the northwest side of Milwaukee. 

“We really want to get the city’s decision makers, the Common Council, the mayor, to invest in food access for our residents,” said Farmer. “We want them to take up responsibility to prioritize through the city budget.” 

Both Farmer and Hansen said it’s important for residents to know they’re not alone. 

“We want people to have the same shopping experience that anyone wants in the grocery store and to be able to afford foods,” said Hansen.