(TNND) — President Donald Trump has taken steps to have more than 1,000 active-duty U.S. soldiers have on standby for a potential deployment to Minnesota amid escalating unrest tied to federal immigration enforcement operations, officials report.

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

The move comes as protests in Minneapolis and the Twin Cities have intensified following a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent’s fatal shooting of Renee Good earlier this month, which has sparked daily demonstrations and confrontations between activists and law enforcement.

According to Daily Mail, the White House has asked federal troops to be on standby. Defense officials revealed the plans to ABC News on Saturday, saying that active duty soldiers would come from the 11th Airborne Division based in Alaska.

The Alaska base is said to be "one of the Army's premier infantry units positioned to help deter China," Daily Mail reports. However, Trump is prepared to shift resources and deploy them to Minnesota to handle anti-ICE demonstrations.

The soldiers would be prepared to assist if the situation worsens, with defense officials indicating that the standby status is part of federal planning. Officials have emphasized no final decision has been made about actually sending troops into the state.

The potential mobilization comes amid a broader federal response to clashes between protesters and immigration agents, as the White House seeks to address what it views as a breakdown in public order tied to federal enforcement efforts.

Tensions have been rising for days, with multiple demonstrations and law enforcement responses unfolding across Minneapolis and Trump recently threatening to invoke the centuries old Insurrection Act on the city.