President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to invoke the Insurrection Act in a sweeping move that would allow him to deploy active-duty U.S. military forces for domestic immigration enforcement, particularly along the southern border. The controversial step would grant Trump expansive powers typically reserved for quelling rebellion or insurrection.

The Trump administration has been signaling the move for months. In a January 20 executive order declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to assess the situation and submit a plan that could include military enforcement under the Insurrection Act. The deadline for that review passed on April 20.

Legal experts and civil liberties groups warn that invoking the 1807 law for immigration purposes would be an unprecedented and dangerous expansion of executive power. “This is not what the Insurrection Act was designed for,” said Chris Edelson, a constitutional scholar at American University. “Deploying troops for border enforcement crosses a line that no president has tested in modern history.”

Trump officials argue the use of the military is necessary to restore “order” at the border and enforce deportation operations that have faced resistance from state and local authorities. Internal memos from Project 2025, a sweeping governance blueprint embraced by the Trump campaign, explicitly outline scenarios where the Insurrection Act could be used to override governors, detain migrants en masse, and crush protests.

While the White House has not yet made a formal declaration, officials say all legal frameworks are in place and that implementation could begin “within days.” If carried out, it would mark the first use of the Insurrection Act for immigration enforcement in U.S. history.

The Crustian Daily will continue to monitor developments, legal challenges, and resistance from within the military and judiciary as this unprecedented move advances.