The Pentagon in the United States has ordered some 1,500 active duty soldiers in Alaska to be ready to be deployed to Minnesota, where large protests have been taking place against federal immigration raids, US media reported.Two unnamed officials told Reuters on Sunday that two infantry battalions from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, which is based in Alaska and specialises in operating in arctic conditions, have been given prepare-to-deploy orders to the twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul, where protests against raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are continuing, despite freezing conditions.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listIn a statement emailed to The Associated Press news agency, Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell did not deny that 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.The news comes as widespread protests continue in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul against violent tactics used by close to 3,000 federal ICE agents deployed to the city, following the shooting death of Minneapolis resident and mother Renee Nicole Good, 37.Multiple people have been injured as the raids continue, with ICE also reporting on Sunday that a man had died in ICE detention after being arrested in Minneapolis.Victor Manuel Diaz, a 36-year-old from Nicaragua, died in …
