Active duty troops ordered to prepare to be deployed to Minnesota

(NBC, KYMA) - The Pentagon has put some active-duty troops on prepare-to-deploy orders in case the president seeks to send them to Minnesota, according to two U.S. officials.

Last week, President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protesters in Minneapolis, and in preparation for the possibility of those orders, the Pentagon has told 15,000 active-duty troops to prepare-to-deploy.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was on NBC News' "Meet the Press" Sunday morning saying it "would be a shocking step."

The troops are part of two battalions of the 11th Airborne Division, according to two U.S. officials.

The notification sent out to the troops was described as "prudent planning," and the officials have no indication the president will use the Insurrection Act.

Mayor Frey says Minneapolis is safe, with crime statistics are down across many categories including vandalism, theft, and weapons violations, according to city data.

The city, however, has seen a rise in assault offenses and motor vehicle theft.