Minneapolis ICE shooting live updates: DOJ appealing order restricting ICE response

President Donald Trump on Sunday blasted Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., for opposing the ongoing ICE actions there, accusing them of doing it to distract from alleged fraud in the state.

"ICE is removing some of the most violent criminals in the World from our Country, and bring [sic] them back home, where they belong. Why is Minnesota fighting this?" Trump asked in his social media post, referring to the people being detained as "murderers" and "drug dealers," and the protesters as "thugs" that "include many highly paid professional agitators and anarchists."

"Is this really what Minnesota wants?" Trump continued. He then referenced the governor and Ilhan, accusing them, without evidence, of trying to keep "the focus of attention off the 18 Billion Dollar, Plus, FRAUD, that has taken place in the State."

"Don't worry, we're on it!" he added.

The Department of Health and Human Services is freezing $10 billion in federal funds in five Democrat-run states over allegations of fraudulent child-care programming, an HHS official confirmed to ABC News earlier this month. The HHS official confirmed that the five states are California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York. It's unclear if this is the alleged fraud to which Trump referred in his post Sunday.

The post comes as Trump has repeatedly threatened to use the Insurrection Act to send military personnel into Minnesota, though he appeared to back off those threats in recent days, telling reporters Friday: "I don't think there's any reason right now to use it, but if I needed it, I'd use it."

Neither Walz nor Omar immediately replied to Trump's Sunday social media post. However, Walz posted on Thursday what he called a "direct appeal to the President," saying in part, "Let's turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are."

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr

Two battalions from the 11th Airborne Division have been put on alert for a potential deployment to Minnesota, according to two defense officials.

One official said the president has not made a final decision whether to deploy the battalions. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"We are taking prudent steps to prepare active-duty Army forces," the official said. "This doesn't mean they will deploy; we are preparing options."

President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to send in the U.S. military as tensions intensified in Minneapolis following a second shooting involving a federal officer during immigration operations. However, Trump later told reporters he didn't think there was "any reason right now to use it."

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty and Steve Beynon

The Minnesota Guard has been mobilized and is on standby to support law enforcement ahead of protests expected to unfold in Minneapolis over the weekend, officials said.

Right now, troops are on standby at their bases and not on the streets. They were in a similar posture last week.

At a news briefing on Friday, Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke, the commander of the Minnesota Guard, described the deployment's purpose as "to protect life and property."

It's unclear how many troops are mobilized. Walz's office declined to comment. The Minnesota Guard did not respond to a request for comment.

"I don't know if you'll see National Guard in the neighborhoods or not," Manke said at the briefing. "It's going to depend on what the needs are."

Last week, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz authorized the National Guard to be "staged and ready to support" law enforcement if needed.

-ABC News' Steve Beynon

A federal judge in Minnesota is temporarily barring federal immigration agents from retaliating against people engaging in lawful and peaceful protest as well as those observing their activities under Department of Homeland Security's Operation Metro Surge.

In an order Friday, U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez ruled that federal agents deployed to the state under the operation are prohibited from arresting or detaining peaceful protesters "in retaliation for their protected conduct and absent a showing of probable cause or reasonable suspicion that the person has committed a crime or is obstructing or interfering with the activities."

The order also bars Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agents from stopping drivers and passengers unless there's reasonable suspicion that they're obstructing federal enforcement activities.

"The act of safely following Covered Federal Agents at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop," the judge wrote.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit in December on behalf of plaintiffs who alleged that they were arrested for lawfully protesting or documenting DHS activity.

Federal officials disputed much of the lawsuit's claims. Immigration officials say crowds often became large, hostile and dangerous, with people throwing snowballs, ice, and other objects, blocking vehicles, and surrounding officers. They say pepper spray and other force was used only after repeated warnings and when agents could not move their vehicles safely.

Menendez's ruling applies to "all persons who do or will in the future record, observe, and/or protest Operation Metro Surge and related operations."

DHS is mandated to share the order with all agents in the area over the next 72 hours.

-ABC News' Armando Garcia and Jason Volack