Minnesota National Guardsmen will wear bright reflective vests so they won’t be confused with law enforcement agencies that wear military-style camouflage.
“Members of the Minnesota National Guard are serving in support of local law enforcement agencies and are not licensed peace officers,” said Army Maj. Andrea Tsuchiya, a spokeswoman for the state’s National Guard. “These vests are being used to distinguish our members from those of other agencies, due to similar uniforms being worn.”
Minneapolis has seen daily protests against law enforcement since an agent with U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, shot and killed Renee Good on Jan. 7. U.S. government officials have claimed that Good was trying to ram federal agents with her SUV.
Top Stories This Week
The incident came amid an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis that began in December. There are currently thousands of agents with ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies deployed to Minneapolis.
Federal law enforcement agencies have been increasingly dressing in military-style garb over the years, and that can make it hard for civilians to tell the difference between the police and the military. Photos from Minneapolis show that U.S. Border Patrol and FBI agents have been wearing gear that closely resembles troops’ uniforms.
That appears to be why Minnesota National Guardsmen will wear reflective vests if activated “to help distinguish them from other agencies in similar uniforms,” a Jan. 17 post on the Minnesota National Guard’s Facebook page says.
The move is not targeted at any specific agency. Rather, it is meant to make sure that people do not mistake Minnesota National Guardsmen for state or federal agents wearing camouflage uniforms, a state official told Task & Purpose.
The Minnesota National Guard’s operations in Minneapolis have been limited so far.
Over the weekend, soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard’s 257th Military Police Company mobilized to help the state patrol troopers with “traffic support to protect life, preserve property, and support the rights of all Minnesotans to assemble peacefully,” Tsuchiya said.
Separately, President Donald Trump recently threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to send active-duty troops to Minneapolis to protect federal agents.
About 1,500 soldiers with the 11th Airborne Division in Alaska have been placed to prepare to deploy orders in case they are needed in Minneapolis, a U.S. official said.
