WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to be ready in case of a possible deployment to Minnesota, where federal authorities have been conducting a massive immigration enforcement operation, two defense officials said Sunday.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans, said two infantry battalions of the Army’s 11th Airborne Division have been given prepare-to-deploy orders. The unit is based in Alaska and specializes in operating in arctic conditions.

One defense official said the troops are standing by to deploy to Minnesota should President Donald Trump invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely-used 19th century law that would allow him to employ active duty troops as law enforcement.

The move comes just days after Trump threatened to do just that to quell protests against his administration’s immigration crackdown.

In an emailed statement, Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell did not deny the orders were issued and said the military “is always prepared to execute the orders of the Commander-in-Chief if called upon.”

ABC News was the first to report the development.

On Thursday, Trump said in a social media post that he would invoke the 1807 law “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.”

He appeared to walk back the threat a day later, telling reporters at the White House that there wasn’t a reason to use it “right now.”

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

Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act throughout both of his terms. In 2020 he also threatened to use it to quell protests after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, and in recent months he threatened to use it for immigration protests.

The law was most recently invoked by President George H.W. Bush in 1992 to end unrest in Los Angeles after the acquittal of four white police officers in the beating of Rodney King.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat and frequent target of Trump, has urged the president to refrain from sending in more troops.

“I’m making a direct appeal to the President: Let’s turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are,” Walz said last week on social media.

___

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

High School

Hockey

Tuesday

West Valley 3, Lathrop 2

Wasilla 5, Palmer 1

Kenai Central 4, Homer 3

Eagle River 4, Service 3

Wednesday

Dimond 6, Service 2

Chugiak 5, Eagle River 0

Thursday

Wasilla 3, Soldotna 2

West Valley 3, Dimond 0

Juneau-Douglas 4, Delta 2

Friday

Juneau-Douglas 11, Delta 1

Palmer 11, Kenai Central 3

Saturday

Houston 3, Kenai Central 2

South 4, West Valley 2

• • •

Basketball

Girls

Monday

West 52, South 13

Bartlett 70, Eagle River 12

Tuesday

Dimond 53, South 31

North Pole 56, West Valley 20

Service 80, Eagle River 18

West 68, Chugiak 41

Colony 74, Palmer 17

Monroe Catholic 58, Hutchison 15

Redington 28, Susitna Valley 26

Wednesday

Soldotna 55, Bethel 18

Hoonah 54, Skagway 19

Thursday

Tok 54, Galena 53

Hoonah 52, Skagway 22

Fort Yukon 58, Birchwood Christian 12

Minto 68, Nunamiut 20

Lathrop 68, East 44

Nikiski 54, Bethel 50

Nome-Beltz 46, Cordova 38

Wasilla 60, Mt. Edgecumbe 21

Friday

Chief Ivan Blunka 52, Manokotak 39

Delta 59, Minto 35

Fort Yukon 62, Cook Inlet Academy 19

Mt. Edgecumbe 43, Ketchikan 32

Wasilla 64, Sitka 28

Tri-Valley 46, Susitna Valley 28

Cordova 62, Akiachak 17

Chief Ivan Blunka 52, Tanalian 49

Unalakleet 68, Alakanuk 26

Wrangell 42, Petersburg 28

Saturday

Nome-Beltz 70, Akiachak 24

Walter Northway 49, Birchwood Christian 19

Susitna Valley 45, Cook Inlet Academy 29

Boys

Sunday

Buckland 94, Shungnak 55

Monday

Hydaburg 60, SISD 28

Kake 62, Yakutat 17

Bartlett 65, Eagle River 34

Tuesday

Kake 53, Yakutat 17

Hydaburg 47, SISD 38

Redington 51, Susitna Valley 40

Colony 60, Palmer 41

Wasilla 61, Grace Christian 48

West Valley 44, North Pole 22

West 83, Chugiak 41

Dimond 59, South 45

East 85, Bartlett 28

Service 85, Eagle River 23

Wednesday

Kenai Central 60, Bethel 54

Skagway 71, Hoonah 34

Thursday

North Pole 71, Galena 47

King Cove 96, Koliganek 20

Skagway 61, Hoonah 15

Nunamiut 82, Tok 75

South 74, Susitna Valley 47

Bethel 75, Homer 50

Barrow 58, Monroe Catholic 44

Walter Northway 93, Birchwood Christian 43

Lathrop 70, Service 62

Grace Christian 63, Soldotna 41

Wasilla 74, Bartlett 53

West 81, Eagle River 27

Colony 80, Juneau-Douglas 60

Sand Point 36, Dillingham 34

Nome-Beltz 76, Valdez 43

Friday

Tok 55, Glennallen 50

King Cove 96, Togiak 30

Birchwood Christian 62, Nenana 49

Minto 55, North Pole 48

Delta 85, Nunamiut 29

Cook Inlet Academy 63, Gambell 52

Manokotak 56, Bristol Bay 48

Chief Ivan Blunka 59, Tanalian 56

Akiachak 64, Cordova 40

Unalakleet 97, Alakanuk 28

South 66, Barrow 50

Saturday

Juneau-Douglas 74, Bartlett 41

Galena 67, Glennallen 49

Bristol Bay 58, Manokotak 44

Chief Ivan Blunka 64, Tanalian 62

Birchwood Christian 61, Fort Yukon 54

East 84, Juneau-Douglas 70

Nome-Beltz 59, Lathrop 56

North Pole 90, Nunamiut 44

Redington 60, Akiachak 41

Colony 84, Bartlett 25

Soldotna 38, Mountain City Christian Academy 37

Unalakleet 73, Alakanuk 30

• • •

Cross-country skiing

Wednesday

West Skiathlon

Boys A

1. Service (Freedom Bennett/Jack Leveque), 17:10.7; 2. South (Kevin Downs/Vebjorn Flagstad), 17:11; 3. South (Braxton Thornley/Ethan Elliott), 17:30.

Girls A

1. South (Maya Tirpack/Alise Elliott), 19:39.3; 2. South (Elin Lunoe/Solvej Lunoe), 19:41.4; 3. Service (Talia Smith/Faith Harlamert), 20:04.1.

• • •

College

Hockey

Friday

UAA 1, UAF 0 (SO)

Saturday

UAA vs. UAF (Late)

• • •

Women’s basketball

Thursday

UAA 79, Simon Fraser 72

Western Washington 72, UAF 47

Saturday

Simon Fraser 109, UAF 46

Western Washington 81, UAA 65

• • •

Men’s basketball

Saturday

UAF 91, UAA 76

• • •

NAHL

Friday

Anchorage Wolverines 2, Fairbanks Ice Dogs 1 (SO)

Saturday

Anchorage Wolverines vs. Fairbanks Ice Dogs (Late)

LEXINGTON, Ky. –  The University of Kentucky rifle team started its 2026 season off in a massive way Saturday, setting school records in smallbore and aggregate team scores en route to an impressive victory over Nebraska and Alaska at the Tanana Valley Sportsman’s Association range in Fairbanks, Alaska.

The Wildcats posted a NCAA-record tying and school-record breaking team score of 4759, which is the highest team mark in the nation this season. Nebraska finished second with a 4746 while Alaska was third at 4730.

UK’s high aggregate came after a 2368 in smallbore, which was a school record and also is tied for the second-highest smallbore team score in the nation this season.

Kentucky will return to action Sunday morning when it faces the same two squads in a tri-match at UAF. The match will take place inside the E.F. Horton Rifle Range. Two relays will be held with each relay starting with smallbore and then concluding with air rifle. The first relay is scheduled to start at Noon ET.

Live targets and a NCAA scorecard will be available all weekend long at UKathletics.com.

“Happy with the performance today overall,” UK head coach Harry Mullins said. “We have been working really, really hard in training camp and to see some things start to carry over into the range was really nice. I thought Sofia, Braden Liz and Elisa really set the tone on the first relay with some great performances. Braden and Sofia both set range records, which was awesome and Liz set a new career best in air rifle. Sam, Martin and Brandon competed well and finished the job on the second relay. We have to have a short memory and get back to work tomorrow against the same teams in a different facility, which will be a major challenge.”

Kentucky shined in smallbore at the match Saturday, earning a school-record smallbore team score of 2368. That score crushed UK’s previous record of 2361, which was scored earlier this season. The high mark ties the second-highest smallbore team score in the nation this season. The 2368 was also a Tanana Valley Sportsman’s Association range record team score.

Junior Braden Peiser led Kentucky in smallbore, earning a career-best 597-49x behind a perfect 200-20x prone score. Peiser added a 198 in kneeling and 199 in standing for his high overall score, which was also a TVSA range record.

Senior Sofia Ceccarello scored a 591 in smallbore with a 195 kneeling, 199 prone and 197 standing with 32 centers, while sophomore Sam Adkins posted a 593 with 39 centers, earning a 198 kneeling and prone and 197 standing. Freshman Elizabeth Probst scored a 587 with 33 centers, earning a 194 in kneeling, 198 in prone and 195 in standing, while fellow freshman Elisa Boozer scored a 585 with 28 centers. Boozer posted a 197 in kneeling and prone and 191 in standing. Seniors Martin Voss and Brandon Evans also scored 585s. Voss had a 195 in kneeling, 200 in prone and 190 in standing with 41 centers, while Evans scored a 190 in kneeling, 198 in prone and 197 standing with 33 centers.

In air rifle, Kentucky was paced by Probst, who scored a career-best 599 with 53 centers. She was followed by Peiser, who scored a 598 with 55 centers. Three UK athletes had 597s led by Adkins, who posted 54 centers, while Ceccarello had 53 and Boozer had 52. Voss scored a 592 with 42 centers, while Evans rounded out the squad with a 588 and 40 centers.

Only two Wildcats posted over a 1190 aggregate score with Peiser scoring a 1195 with 104 centers, while Adkins set a new career high aggregate with a 1190 and 93 centers. Ceccarello finished with a 1188 aggregate, while Probst scored a 1186. Voss had a 1177 with Boozer scoring a 1182 and Evans a 1173.