GOP lawmakers call on Trump to arrest Walz after governor warns of National Guard move

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Republicans accuse Tim Walz of fomenting "civil war" with National Guard threat

House Republicans spoke with Fox News Digital after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz suggested he could activate the National Guard in his state.

Republican lawmakers are urging President Donald Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after the Democrat warned he could deploy the National Guard in response to federal immigration enforcement actions in his state.

"Invoke the Insurrection Act. Arrest Tim Walz," Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., said in a post to X on Wednesday evening. 

Miller’s calls to apply the law, which gives the president powers to arrest suspects obstructing federal law enforcement, follow Walz’s suggestion that he might deploy the National Guard to push back on President Donald Trump’s use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., gives remarks after receiving an endorsement during a Save America Rally with President Donald Trump at the Adams County Fairgrounds on June 25, 2022. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

"We do not need any further help from the federal government. To Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, you’ve done enough. I’ve issued a warning order to prepare the Minnesota National Guard," Walz said in a press event.

Walz’s warning on Wednesday came on the heels of a deadly encounter between ICE and a woman. A law enforcement officer shot Renee Nicole Good, 37, when she confronted agents from inside her car in Minneapolis, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

"We have soldiers in training and prepared to be deployed if necessary. I remind you, a warning order is a heads-up for folks," Walz said. "Minnesota will not allow our community to be used as a prop in a national political fight."

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced that he would not be seeking re-election on Jan. 5, 2026, at a press conference at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Under Minnesota law, Walz has the power to deploy the National Guard for the "defense or relief of the state, the enforcement of the law, [or] the protection of persons" in the state.

Other Republicans reacting to Walz’s warning also believe such an action could trigger the use of the act.

When asked if he agreed with Miller's demands, Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., said he doesn't know how else the administration would interpret Walz's intent.

"If he says with that intent to oppose — you're bringing in military force. Let's lay out out. I'm going to bring out military force to oppose a federal armed force. What does that sound like to the average person? Kind of like you want to go to war."

"I don't know how else to take that," McCormick said. "That does not give me any indication other than you want start some stuff. And when I say ‘stuff’ I'm being very polite." 

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., similarly condemned Walz's statements.

"The last time they did that was at fort Sumter and it started the Civil War," Van Orden said, referring to the opening clash between the Confederate and Union forces in 1861. 

"If a state militia acts against the federal government that is actually a civil war. So that guy needs to shut his d-mn mouth now because he is calling for civil war. [Tim] Walz is an absolute moron," Van Orden said. 

"Someone remind him: Donald Trump is the Commander in Chief. And federal authority supersedes state authority. That’s not an opinion, that’s the Constitution," Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said in her own post. 

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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., speaks during a hearing with the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on April 11, 2024, in Washington, D.C.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

"What Walz is threatening has a name: insurrection. Mr. President, the law is on your side. Use it," she added.

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Walz's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.