Anti-ICE protesters violently swarmed a Minneapolis hotel late Sunday night after believing federal immigration officers were staying inside, smashing windows, throwing objects at people in the lobby, and covering the building with graffiti as tensions continued to escalate across the Twin Cities.
The mob descended on the Home2 Suites by Hilton Hotel on University Avenue as unrest gripped Minneapolis just one day after Border Patrol agents shot and killed agitator Alex Pretti, 37, during an immigration enforcement operation earlier Saturday.
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Protesters shouted, vandalized property, and attempted to force their way into the hotel, prompting a rapid federal response.
Video from the scene showed demonstrators shoving and hurling objects at a Minneapolis Police Department officer and others just inside the hotel’s lobby.
🚨 BREAKING: Rioters are now DESTROYING the hotel they believe ICE agents are staying at in Minnesota
No evidence suggest there are ACTUALLY agents staying there
Local PD ONCE AGAIN allowing it to happen.
You’re a DISGRACE, @Tim_Walz pic.twitter.com/h8iOSqzCAb
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 26, 2026
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As the crowd surged forward, those inside the building moved two large vending machines to block the entrance and prevent protesters from entering.
“We’re all locals, it’s all locals!” one man shouted from inside the lobby as he tried to push the crowd back.
“You guys are doing this for no reason,” he added.
Outside the hotel, protesters attempted to disturb anyone they believed was inside by banging on trash cans, slamming snow shovels, blowing whistles, stomping, yelling, and shining strobe lights across the hotel’s facade.
Several protesters escalated to vandalism, smashing windows and spray-painting messages including “ICE OUT,” “F**K ICE,” and “ICE KILLS” across the exterior of the building.
CALLING FOR HELP: Two federal officers were surrounded by a mob of far-left activists in the lobby of the Home 2 Suites by Hilton in Minneapolis Sunday evening.
One officer appeared to have a bloody hand and was heard calling for back up. @tpusa|@choeshow pic.twitter.com/7jBGU41lcp— FRONTLINES TPUSA (@FrontlinesTPUSA) January 26, 2026
Debris and trash were scattered throughout the lobby following the incident.
Swarms of heavily armed federal agents later arrived at the scene in an armored vehicle and deployed tear gas and flash bangs to disperse the crowd.
One federal agent guarding the hotel entrance appeared to be bleeding from his nose or mouth, though it was not immediately clear how the injury occurred.
YOUR PEOPLE JUST DESTROYED A HOTEL WHERE FEDERAL AGENTS WERE STAYING
AND YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENT LEFT A LONE FEDERAL AGENT TO DEFEND THE HOTEL…
BY HIMSELF!!!!
THEY LEFT HIM TO DIE AND YOU ARE…
PROUD?!!!!!!!!!
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) January 26, 2026
At least two individuals were taken into custody and escorted away in handcuffs.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety confirmed that state agencies were initially assisting Minneapolis police before federal agents intervened.
“The Minnesota State Patrol and DNR [Department of Natural Resources] were called to assist Minneapolis police with damage to hotel property at Home2 Suites Hotel on University Avenue,” the agency said in a statement posted to X just before 11 p.m. local time.
“While they collaboratively worked to encircle the group for arrests because the demonstration was not peaceful, federal agents arrived without communication and deployed chemical irritants, clearing the group. The State Patrol and DNR are no longer on the scene.”
While they collaboratively worked to encircle the group for arrests because the demonstration was not peaceful, federal agents arrived without communication and deployed chemical irritants, clearing the group. The State Patrol and DNR are no longer on scene.
— Minnesota Department of Public Safety (@MnDPS_DPS) January 26, 2026
It was not immediately clear whether any federal immigration officers were actually staying at the hotel at the time of the protest.
The destructive demonstration followed a pattern seen earlier this month after the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, 37, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
The night after Good’s death, hundreds of protesters surrounded the Hilton Canopy Hotel, which they also believed was housing immigration enforcement officers.
Federal authorities have said Good was shot in self-defense after allegedly attempting to “weaponize” her vehicle against officers she had been following.
ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot Good four times, including a shot through the driver’s side window, after authorities said she attempted to use her car as a weapon.
Tensions in Minneapolis have continued to rise as the Trump administration increased the presence of federal law enforcement officers in the Twin Cities as part of a broader effort to investigate alleged welfare fraud involving Somali immigrants.
On Saturday, Pretti, an ICU nurse who worked at a veterans hospital, was involved in a confrontation with federal officers during an immigration enforcement operation.
Trump administration officials said Pretti was “violently resisting” when he was pinned to the ground by officers before being fatally shot.
The Department of Homeland Security said Pretti rushed officers while armed with a gun.
President Donald Trump addressed the situation on Sunday, saying federal agents would be leaving Minneapolis “at some point.”
He added that “a different group” of federal officials would remain in the city to continue the ongoing fraud investigations.
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