WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has ordered several dozen additional active-duty soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minneapolis if needed, a defense official said Wednesday, amid protests over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown.

The defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive plans, confirmed that members of an Army military police brigade who are stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina have been given prepare-to-deploy orders.

If deployed, the troops would likely offer support to civil authorities in Minneapolis, according to the official, who stressed that such standby orders are issued regularly and they do not necessarily mean that the troops would end up going.

About 1,500 active-duty soldiers from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division based in Alaska also have received similar standby orders. President Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used 19th century law that would allow him to use active-duty troops as law enforcement.

That threat followed protests that erupted in Minneapolis after a federal immigration officer killed resident Renee Good on Jan. 7. Trump quickly appeared to walk back the threat, telling reporters a day later that there wasn’t a reason to use the act “right now.”

“If I needed it, I’d use it,” Trump said. “It’s very powerful.”

When asked about the latest orders, which were reported earlier by MS Now, the Pentagon said it didn’t have information to provide at this time.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat and frequent target of Trump, has urged the president to refrain from sending in more troops and, in a statement Tuesday, invited him to visit Minnesota and “help restore calm and order and reaffirm that true public safety comes from shared purpose, trust, and respect.”

In his second term, Trump has pushed traditional boundaries by using troops in American cities, often over the objections of local officials, amid federal operations targeting illegal immigration and crime.

Trump deployed federalized National Guard troops to Los Angeles last June after protesters took to the streets in response to a blitz of immigration arrests. Ultimately, he sent about 4,000 Guard members and 700 active-duty Marines to guard federal buildings and, later, to protect federal agents as they carried out immigration arrests.

He also mobilized Guard troops in places like Chicago and Portland, Oregon, but has faced a series of legal setbacks. Trump said in December that he was dropping that push for the time being.

The Justice Department has issued grand jury subpoenas to multiple government officials in Minnesota, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, expanding the agency’s probe alleging that Minnesota officials conspired to impede law enforcement amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her have also been subpoenaed. NPR has not yet confirmed reports that other state and local leaders have also been issued subpoenas.

Frey’s subpoena requires him to appear in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis on Feb. 3. The mayor accused the federal government of weaponizing its power to intimidate local leaders.

“We shouldn’t have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with,” he said in a statement.

Earlier Tuesday, U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino appeared with ICE leader Marcos Charles in a news briefing criticizing Minnesota leaders and defending the work of immigration officers.

“They’re everyday people doing a very hard job, trying to enforce the immigration laws in an environment where local and state politicians have been spreading rhetoric that dehumanizes these officers and agents,” Charles said.

Protesters in Minnesota have roiled against Immigration and Customs Enforcement after one of its agents shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Macklin Good earlier this month.

“Less than two weeks ago, federal agents shot and killed a Minnesotan in broad daylight,” Ellison said in a statement. “Now, instead of seriously investigating the killing of Renee Good, Trump is weaponizing the justice system against any leader who dares stand up to him.”

During a White House press briefing Tuesday, President Trump discussed ICE tactics and Good’s shooting.

“They’re going to make mistakes. Sometimes ICE is going to be too rough with somebody, or, you know, they’re dealing with rough people,” Trump said. “Are they going to make a mistake sometimes? It can happen. I feel terribly. I felt horribly when I was told that the young woman who was, who had the tragedy. It’s a tragedy. It’s a horrible thing.”

Ellison said the DOJ is asking for records and documents related to his office’s work regarding federal immigration enforcement. He pointed out that this action comes shortly after his office sued the Trump administration over ICE’s tactics in the region.

“Let’s be clear about why this is happening: Donald Trump is coming after the people of Minnesota and I’m standing in his way,” Ellison said. “I will not be intimidated, and I will not stop working to protect Minnesotans from Trump’s campaign of retaliation and revenge.”

NPR has reached out to the White House for comment on the DOJ subpoenas, but has not yet received a response

Independent journalist Nick Sortor criticized the legacy media on Monday, alleging chaotic “riot” conditions in Minneapolis have largely gone unreported.

“It’s been a riot since day one… they’ve been trying to cover it up,” Sortor told “Jesse Watters Primetime” guest host Charlie Hurt.

“The legacy media, in particular, they don’t want to show what’s actually going on out here. I have to do this live shot from several blocks away,” he added, pointing to police lights in the distance. 

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“But I can’t go over there anymore because I will be attacked, even with police lights over there. That is not a protest.”

Sortor shared a harrowing experience on social media earlier this month when anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agitators swarmed his vehicle, shouting at him and yelling expletives.

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He said the agitators hurled frozen water bottles in his direction, smashed his windows and vandalized the vehicle with spray paint.

Sortor said his camera was also stolen and claimed that, despite the crime, he was forced to leave the area instead of the perpetrator.

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“It’s crazy to me that this is the point that we’re at. We are on our own out here, and we have to take our cities back. We cannot allow no-go zones to be set up in otherwise beautiful states like this.”

Tensions have brewed in Minneapolis since the ICE-involved death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good after she appeared to accelerate her car in an agent’s direction earlier this month.

Fox News’ Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.